This disclosure relates generally to Stock Keeping Unit
(SKU) management, and more particularly to method and system for
managing items in warehouses through distributed ledger.
Background
[002] Organizations in supply chain today face a huge challenge
in form of Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) management which directly impacts
profits. Several Master data Management (MDM) based solutions are
available for SKU rationalization and reporting. But the MDM process
includes certain limitations.
[003] Organizations with multiple warehouses across
geographies, and each of the warehouses including corresponding
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (or other
systems/applications with local database). Over time, the repositories grow
huge and reports related to an item across warehouses may not be able to
identify duplicate items. MDM aids in de-duplicating the items for reporting
purposes. However, MDM provides no feedback to the ERP systems which
may help the organizations avoid such exercises next time during reporting.
[004] In the present scenario, warehouses have corresponding
ERP systems (or other applications to manage items) which are
disconnected with each other and same item is referred by a different ID.
There is no common item identity that may help identify same items. When
an organization takes out data across all warehouses, such items may look
completely different from each other and may result in incorrect decision
making and reporting. Collating the data related to such items across
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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multiple warehouse becomes increasingly difficult and leads to time and
effort wastage.
[005] The conventional technqiues fail to provide for streamlining
and de-duplicating an item across warehouses to obtain better quality data
for analytics and reporting purposes. There is, therefore, a need in the
present state of art for techniques to manage items within an SKU across
multiple warehouses in an efficient manner.
SUMMARY
[006] In one embodiment, a method for managing items in
warehouses through distributed ledger is disclosed. In one example, the
method includes sending a request from a first warehouse to each of a
plurality of warehouses to add an item to an Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to a
distributed ledger. The first warehouse is one of the plurality of warehouses.
The request includes a unique identity and metadata assigned by the first
warehouse to the item. Each of the plurality of warehouses includes a copy
of the distributed ledger. For each of the plurality of warehouses, the method
further includes checking whether the item exists in an ERP system
associated with a warehouse based on the metadata of the item within the
request from the first warehouse. The method further includes receiving a
response to the request from each of the plurality of warehouses based on
the checking. The response is one of an approval of the request or a
rejection of the request. The method further includes managing the item in
the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger based on the response received from each of the plurality
of warehouses.
[007] In one embodiment, a system for managing items in
warehouses through distributed ledger is disclosed. In one example, the
system includes a processor and a computer-readable medium
communicatively coupled to the processor. The computer-readable medium
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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store processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, cause the
processor to send a request from a first warehouse to each of a plurality of
warehouses to add an item to an ERP system associated with each of the
plurality of warehouses and to a distributed ledger. The first warehouse is
one of the plurality of warehouses. The request includes a unique identity
and metadata assigned by the first warehouse to the item. Each of the
plurality of warehouses includes a copy of the distributed ledger. For each
of the plurality of warehouses, the processor-executable instructions, on
execution, further cause the processor to check whether the item exists in
an ERP system associated with a warehouse based on the metadata of the
item within the request from the first warehouse. The processor-executable
instructions, on execution, further cause the processor to receive a
response to the request from each of the plurality of warehouses based on
the checking. The response is one of an approval of the request or a
rejection of the request. The processor-executable instructions, on
execution, further cause the processor to manage the item in the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger based on the response received from each of the plurality
of warehouses.
[008] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary and
explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and,
together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.
[010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for
managing items in warehouses through distributed ledger, in accordance
with some embodiments.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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[011] FIG. 2 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary
system for managing items in warehouses through distributed ledger, in
accordance with some embodiments.
[012] FIGS. 3A-D illustrate a flow diagram of an exemplary
process for managing items in warehouses through distributed ledger, in
accordance with some embodiments.
[013] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system
for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[014] Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the
accompanying drawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference
numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
While examples and features of disclosed principles are described herein,
modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible without
departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. It is
intended that the following detailed description be considered as exemplary
only, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
[015] Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary system 100 for
managing items in warehouses through distributed ledger 102 is illustrated,
in accordance with some embodiments. The distributed ledger 102 may be
implemented by an inventory management device 104 (for example, server,
desktop, laptop, notebook, netbook, tablet, smartphone, mobile phone, or
any other computing device), in accordance with some embodiments of the
present disclosure. The inventory management device 104 may manage
items in warehouses through the distributed ledger 102 by sending a
request to add an item to the distributed ledger 102 from a first warehouse
(for example, warehouse 106) to each of a plurality of warehouses (such as,
warehouse 108, warehouse 110, and warehouse 112).
[016] The warehouse 106 may include an Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) system 114. Further, the ERP system 114 may include a
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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database 116. Similarly, each of the plurality of warehouses may include an
ERP system (not shown in figure). The inventory management device 104
may send a request from the warehouse 106 to the plurality of warehouses
to add an item to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and the distributed ledger 102. It should be noted that, in some
embodiments, the inventory management device 104 may receive a
response from each of the plurality of warehouses. The response may be
an approval or a rejection of the request. Further, the inventory
management device 104 manage the item in the distributed ledger 102
based on the response to the request.
[017] As will be described in greater detail in conjunction with
FIGS. 2 – 4, the inventory management device may send a request from a
first warehouse to each of a plurality of warehouses to add an item to an
ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to a
distributed ledger. The first warehouse is one of the plurality of warehouses.
The request includes a unique identity and metadata assigned by the first
warehouse to the item. Each of the plurality of warehouses includes a copy
of the distributed ledger. For each of the plurality of warehouses, the
inventory management device may further check whether the item exists in
an ERP system associated with a warehouse based on the metadata of the
item within the request from the first warehouse. The inventory management
device may further receive a response to the request from each of the
plurality of warehouses based on the checking, wherein the response is one
of an approval of the request or a rejection of the request. The inventory
management device may further manage the item in the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed
ledger based on the response received from each of the plurality of
warehouses.
[018] Referring now to FIG. 2, functional block diagram of an
exemplary system 200 for managing items in warehouses (such as,
warehouse 202 and warehouse 204) through distributed ledger 206 is
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments. Each of the warehouse
202 and the warehouse 204 includes an ERP system and is analogous to
the warehouse 106. It may be noted that the system 200 includes additional
warehouses which have not been shown in the figure for simplicity of
illustration. The system 200 includes an inventory management device 208.
In an embodiment, inventory management device 208 is analogous to the
inventory management device 104 of the system 100.
[019] In some embodiments, the inventory management device
202 includes one or more processors 210 and a computer-readable medium
(for example, a memory 212). The memory 212 includes user data
corresponding to a plurality of users. Further, the memory 212 stores
instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 210, cause
the one or more processors 210 to manage items in warehouses through
the distributed ledger 206, in accordance with aspects of the present
disclosure. The memory 212 also stores various data (for example, the ERP
system data corresponding to each of the warehouses, distributed ledger
data, request to add an item, response to the request, and the like) that may
be captured, processed, and/or required by the system 200.
[020] Further, the inventory management device 208 includes,
within the memory 212, a request management module 214, an inventory
checking module 216, and an item management module 218. In an
exemplary scenario, the warehouse 202 sends a request to the inventory
management device 208 for adding an item (for example, a ball bearing) to
the ERP system of each of the remaining of the plurality of warehouses
(including the warehouse 204) and the distributed ledger 206. It may be
noted that the request includes a unique identity (for example, 341) and
metadata (for example, 35 mm, Steel) assigned by the warehouse 202 to
the item. The distributed ledger 206 may be implemented via a smart
contract. Each of the plurality of warehouses includes a copy of distributed
ledger 206.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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[021] The request management module 214 receives the request
from the warehouse 204. Further, the request management module 214
sends the request to the inventory checking module 216. The inventory
checking module 216, checks whether the item exists in an ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses based on the metadata
of the item within the request from the warehouse 202. In an embodiment,
an administrator of a warehouse may perform a check and provide a
response to the inventory checking module 216 accordingly. Further, the
inventory checking module 216 receives a response to the request from
each of the plurality of warehouses based on the checking. The response is
one of an approval of the request or a rejection of the request.
[022] Further, the inventory checking module 216 sends the
response from each of the plurality of warehouses to the item management
module 218. The item management module 218 manages the item in the
ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger based on the response received from each of the plurality
of warehouses. When the response received from each of the plurality of
warehouses is an approval of the request, the item management module
218 adds the item to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality
of warehouses and the distributed ledger 206. In an embodiment, the item
management module 218 assigns a unique identity (for example, 01) to the
item in the distributed ledger 206. Alternately, the item management module
218 assigns the unique identity (341) and the metadata of the ERP system
associated with the warehouse 202 to the item in the distributed ledger 206.
[023] It may be noted that the rejection of the request is received
from a warehouse from the plurality of warehouses when a similar item
exists within the ERP system associated with the warehouse. The rejection
of the request includes a unique identity and metadata of an item within the
ERP system associated with the warehouse. When the response received
from one of the plurality of warehouses is a rejection of the request and the
response received from each of the remaining of the plurality of warehouses
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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is an approval of the request, item management module 218 verifies, by the
warehouse 202, the metadata corresponding to the similar item within the
ERP system associated with the one of the plurality of warehouses. Further,
the item management module 218 may send a subsequent request from the
warehouse 202 to each of the plurality of warehouses to add the item to the
ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to the
distributed ledger, or the item management module 218 may send a
subsequent request from the warehouse 202 to each of the plurality of
warehouses to add the similar item within the ERP system associated with
the one of the plurality of warehouses to the ERP system associated with
each of the plurality of warehouses and to the distributed ledger. In former
scenario, the subsequent request includes additional metadata
corresponding to the item and the additional metadata distinguishes the
item from the similar item of the one of the plurality of warehouses.
[024] Further, the item management module 218 receives a
response to the subsequent request from each of the plurality of
warehouses. Further, the item management module 218 adds one of the
item or the similar item to the ERP system associated with each of the
plurality of warehouses and the distributed ledger when the response
received from each of the plurality of warehouses is an approval of the
subsequent request. The one of the item or the similar item is added to the
ERP system and the distributed ledger along with the unique identity and
the metadata within the subsequent request.
[025] When the response received from two or more of the plurality
of warehouses is a rejection of the request, the item management module
218 verifies, by the warehouse 202, the metadata corresponding to the
similar item within the ERP system associated with each of the two or more
of the plurality of warehouses. Further, the item management module may
send a subsequent request from the warehouse 202 to each of the plurality
of warehouses to add the item to the ERP system associated with each of
the plurality of warehouses and to the distributed ledger, or the item
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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management module 218 may send a subsequent request from the
warehouse 202 to each of the plurality of warehouses to add a similar item
selected from similar items within ERP systems associated with the two or
more of the plurality of warehouses to the ERP system associated with each
of the plurality of warehouses and to the distributed ledger. In former
scenario, the subsequent request includes additional metadata
corresponding to the item and the additional metadata distinguishes the
item from the similar item of each of the two or more of the plurality of
warehouses.
[026] Further, the item management module 218 receives a
response to the subsequent request from each of the plurality of
warehouses. Further, the item management module 218 adds one of the
item or the selected similar item to the ERP system associated with each of
the plurality of warehouses and the distributed ledger when a consensus of
responses of the plurality of warehouses is an approval of the subsequent
request. The one of the item or the selected similar item is added to the ERP
system and the distributed ledger along with the unique identity and the
metadata within the subsequent request. The consensus includes a majority
of the plurality of warehouses. Further, when the consensus is not achieved,
the item management module 218 adds one of the item or the selected
similar item to the ERP system based on the response of the warehouse
202. Further, the item management module 218 updates the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses with the unique identity
and the metadata corresponding to the item within the distributed ledger
through the copy of the distributed ledger.
[027] The system 200 further includes a display 220. The system
200 interacts with a user via a user interface 222 accessible via the display
220. In some embodiments, the inventory management device 202 interacts
with the one or more external devices over a communication network for
sending or receiving various data. The external devices include, but is not
limited to, a remote server, a digital device, or another computing system.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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[028] It should be noted that all such aforementioned modules 210
– 222 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different
modules. Further, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, each of
the modules 210 – 222 may reside, in whole or in parts, on one device or
multiple devices in communication with each other. In some embodiments,
each of the modules 210 – 222 may be implemented as dedicated hardware
circuit comprising custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or
gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or
other discrete components. Each of the modules 210 – 222 may also be
implemented in a programmable hardware device such as a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable array logic,
programmable logic device, and so forth. Alternatively, each of the modules
210 – 222 may be implemented in software for execution by various types
of processors (e.g., processor 210). An identified module of executable
code may, for instance, include one or more physical or logical blocks of
computer instructions, which may, for instance, be organized as an object,
procedure, function, or other construct. Nevertheless, the executables of an
identified module or component need not be physically located together, but
may include disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when
joined logically together, include the module and achieve the stated purpose
of the module. Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single
instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several
different code segments, among different applications, and across several
memory devices.
[029] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a variety of
processes may be employed for managing items in warehouses through
distributed ledger. For example, the exemplary system 200 and the
associated inventory management device 208 may manage items in
warehouses through distributed ledger by the processes discussed herein.
In particular, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art,
control logic and/or automated routines for performing the techniques and
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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steps described herein may be implemented by the system 200 and the
inventory management device 208 either by hardware, software, or
combinations of hardware and software. For example, suitable code may
be accessed and executed by the one or more processors on the system
200 to perform some or all of the techniques described herein. Similarly,
application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) configured to perform some
or all of the processes described herein may be included in the one or more
processors on the system 200.
[030] Referring now to FIGS. 3A-D, an exemplary process 300 for
managing items in warehouses (such as, warehouses 106, 108, 110, and
112) through distributed ledger (such as, the distributed ledger 102) is
depicted via a flowchart, in accordance with some embodiments. In an
embodiment, the process 300 may be implemented by the inventory
management device 208 of the system 200. The process 300 includes
sending a request from a first warehouse (for example, warehouse 106) to
each of a plurality of warehouses (for example, warehouses 108, 110, and
112) to add an item to an ERP system associated with each of the plurality
of warehouses and to a distributed ledger, at step 302. The first warehouse
is one of the plurality of warehouses. The request includes a unique identity
and metadata assigned by the first warehouse to the item. Each of the
plurality of warehouses includes a copy of the distributed ledger. Further,
for each of the plurality of warehouses, the process 300 includes checking
whether the item exists in an ERP system associated with a warehouse
based on the metadata of the item within the request from the first
warehouse, at step 304.
[031] Further, the process 300 includes receiving a response to
the request from each of the plurality of warehouses based on the checking,
at step 306. It should be noted that the response is one of an approval of
the request or a rejection of the request. Further, the process 300 includes
managing the item in the ERP system associated with each of the plurality
of warehouses and the distributed ledger based on the response received
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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from each of the plurality of warehouses, at step 308. By way of an example,
the warehouse 106 sends a request to the request management module
214 to add an item (for example, a ball bearing) to the distributed ledger
206. The request is sent to each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112. Each
of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 performs a check in the ERP system
to determine whether an item similar to the item in the request is present.
Based on the check, each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 sends a
response to the inventory checking module 216.
[032] Further, based on the response received from each of the
plurality of warehouses, the process 300 may be implemented in at least
three scenarios. When the response received is an approval from each of
the plurality of warehouses, the process 300 includes adding the item to the
ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger, at step 310. The item is added to the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed
ledger along with the unique identity and the metadata within the request.
Alternately, the item is added to the ERP system associated with each of
the plurality of warehouses and the distributed ledger along with the unique
identity generated by the inventory management device and the metadata
within the request. In continuation of the example above, when the response
received from each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 is an approval of
the request, the item management module 218 adds the item to the
distributed ledger 206.
[033] It may be noted that the rejection of the request is received
from a warehouse from the plurality of warehouses when a similar item
exists within the ERP system associated with the warehouse. It may also
be noted that the rejection of the request includes a unique identity and
metadata of an item within the ERP system associated with the warehouse.
When the response received is a rejection from one of the plurality of
warehouses and an approval from each of remaining of the plurality of
warehouses, the process 300 includes verifying, by the first warehouse, the
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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metadata corresponding to the similar item within the ERP system
associated with the one of the plurality of warehouses, at step 312.
[034] Further, the process 300 includes sending a subsequent
request from the first warehouse to each of the plurality of warehouses to
add the item to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and to the distributed ledger, at step 314. The subsequent
request includes additional metadata corresponding to the item, and
wherein the additional metadata distinguishes the item from the similar item
of the one of the plurality of warehouses. Further, the process 300 includes
sending a subsequent request from the first warehouse to each of the
plurality of warehouses to add the similar item within the ERP system
associated with the one of the plurality of warehouses to the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to the distributed
ledger, at step 316. It should be noted that the process 300 may execute
one of the step 314 or the step 316.
[035] Further, the process 300 includes receiving a response to
the subsequent request from each of the plurality of warehouses, at step
318. Further, the process 300 includes adding one of the item or the similar
item to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses
and the distributed ledger when the response received from each of the
plurality of warehouses is an approval of the subsequent request, at step
320. The one of the item or the similar item is added to the ERP system and
the distributed ledger along with the unique identity and the metadata within
the subsequent request. In continuation of the example above, when one of
the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 rejects the request, the response to the
request is sent to the inventory checking module 216. The response
includes a unique identity and metadata of an item within the ERP system
associated with the one of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112. Further, the
warehouse 106 verifies the unique identity and the metadata of the item
within the ERP system associated with the one of the warehouses 108, 110,
and 112. When the warehouse 106 is able to distinguish the response item
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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from the requested item, the warehouse 106 sends a subsequent request
to each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 to add the item to the ERP
system associated with each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 and to
the distributed ledger 206. The subsequent request includes additional
metadata corresponding to the item. The additional metadata distinguishes
the item from the similar item of the one of the warehouses 108, 110, and
112. When the warehouse 106 is unable to distinguish the response item
from the requested item, the warehouse 106 sends a subsequent request
to each of the warehouses to add the similar item within the ERP system
associated with the one of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 to the ERP
system associated with each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 and to
the distributed ledger 206. Further, when each of the warehouses 108, 110,
and 112 approves the subsequent request, the item is added to the
distributed ledger 206 by the item management module 218.
[036] When the response received is a rejection from two or more
of the plurality of warehouses, the process 300 includes verifying, by the
first warehouse, the metadata corresponding to the similar item within the
ERP system associated with each of the two or more of the plurality of
warehouses, at step 322. Further, the process 300 includes sending a
subsequent request from the first warehouse to each of the plurality of
warehouses to add the item to the ERP system associated with each of the
plurality of warehouses and to the distributed ledger, at step 324. The
subsequent request includes additional metadata corresponding to the item.
The additional metadata distinguishes the item from the similar item of each
of the two or more of the plurality of warehouses. Further, the process 300
includes sending a subsequent request from the first warehouse to each of
the plurality of warehouses to add a similar item selected from similar items
within ERP systems associated with the two or more of the plurality of
warehouses to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and to the distributed ledger, at step 326. It should be noted
that the process 300 may execute one of the step 324 or the step 326.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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[037] Further, the process 300 includes receiving a response to
the subsequent request from each of the plurality of warehouses, at step
328. Further, the process 300 includes adding one of the item or the
selected similar item to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality
of warehouses and the distributed ledger when a consensus of responses
of the plurality of warehouses is an approval of the subsequent request, at
step 330. The one of the item or the selected similar item is added to the
ERP system and the distributed ledger along with the unique identity and
the metadata within the subsequent request. The consensus includes a
majority of the plurality of warehouses. In continuation of the example
above, when two or more of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 reject the
request, the response to the request is sent to the inventory checking
module 216. The response includes a unique identity and metadata of a
similar item within the ERP system associated with each of the two or more
of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112. Further, the warehouse 106 verifies
the unique identity and the metadata of the similar item within the ERP
system associated with each of the two or more of the warehouses 108,
110, and 112. When the warehouse 106 is able to distinguish the response
item from each of the similar items, the warehouse 106 sends a subsequent
request to each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 to add the item to the
ERP system associated with each of the warehouses 108, 110, and 112
and to the distributed ledger 206. The subsequent request includes
additional metadata corresponding to the item. The additional metadata
distinguishes the item from the similar item of each of the two or more of the
warehouses 108, 110, and 112. When the warehouse 106 is unable to
distinguish the response item from at least one of the similar items, the
warehouse 106 sends a subsequent request to each of the warehouses
108, 110, and 112 to add a similar item selected from the similar items within
the ERP system associated with the two or more of the warehouses 108,
110, and 112 to the ERP system associated with each of the warehouses
108, 110, and 112 and to the distributed ledger 206. Further, when each of
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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the warehouses 108, 110, and 112 approves the subsequent request, the
item is added to the distributed ledger 206 by the item management module
218. Alternately, a consensus of responses of the warehouses 108, 110,
and 112 is considered when more than one items with similar metadata are
requested to be added to the distributed ledger. In an exemplary scenario,
when a consensus of responses is not achieved, the vote of the warehouse
106 may be considered as a final decision. It may be noted that blockchain
inherently is a secure technology and all back and forth transactions are
protected by identity and access management and encryption.
[038] As will be also appreciated, the above described techniques
may take the form of computer or controller implemented processes and
apparatuses for practicing those processes. The disclosure can also be
embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions
embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, solid state drives, CDROMs, hard drives, or any other computer-readable storage medium,
wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by
a computer or controller, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing
the invention. The disclosure may also be embodied in the form of computer
program code or signal, for example, whether stored in a storage medium,
loaded into and/or executed by a computer or controller, or transmitted over
some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling,
through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the
computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the
computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When
implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program
code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic
circuits.
[039] The disclosed methods and systems may be implemented on
a conventional or a general-purpose computer system, such as a personal
computer (PC) or server computer. Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary
computing system 400 that may be employed to implement processing
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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functionality for various embodiments (e.g., as a SIMD device, client device,
server device, one or more processors, or the like) is illustrated. Those
skilled in the relevant art will also recognize how to implement the invention
using other computer systems or architectures. The computing system 400
may represent, for example, a user device such as a desktop, a laptop, a
mobile phone, personal entertainment device, DVR, and so on, or any other
type of special or general-purpose computing device as may be desirable
or appropriate for a given application or environment. The computing
system 400 may include one or more processors, such as a processor 402
that may be implemented using a general or special purpose processing
engine such as, for example, a microprocessor, microcontroller or other
control logic. In this example, the processor 402 is connected to a bus 404
or other communication medium. In some embodiments, the processor 402
may be an Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor, which may be implemented
as a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a graphical processor unit, or a
custom programmable solution Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
[040] The computing system 400 may also include a memory 406
(main memory), for example, Random Access Memory (RAM) or other
dynamic memory, for storing information and instructions to be executed by
the processor 402. The memory 406 also may be used for storing temporary
variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions
to be executed by the processor 402. The computing system 400 may
likewise include a read only memory (“ROM”) or other static storage device
coupled to bus 404 for storing static information and instructions for the
processor 402.
[041] The computing system 400 may also include a storage
devices 408, which may include, for example, a media drive 410 and a
removable storage interface. The media drive 410 may include a drive or
other mechanism to support fixed or removable storage media, such as a
hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an SD card port,
a USB port, a micro USB, an optical disk drive, a CD or DVD drive (R or
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
19
RW), or other removable or fixed media drive. A storage media 412 may
include, for example, a hard disk, magnetic tape, flash drive, or other fixed
or removable medium that is read by and written to by the media drive 410.
As these examples illustrate, the storage media 412 may include a
computer-readable storage medium having stored therein particular
computer software or data.
[042] In alternative embodiments, the storage devices 408 may
include other similar instrumentalities for allowing computer programs or
other instructions or data to be loaded into the computing system 400. Such
instrumentalities may include, for example, a removable storage unit 414
and a storage unit interface 416, such as a program cartridge and cartridge
interface, a removable memory (for example, a flash memory or other
removable memory module) and memory slot, and other removable storage
units and interfaces that allow software and data to be transferred from the
removable storage unit 414 to the computing system 400.
[043] The computing system 400 may also include a
communications interface 418. The communications interface 418 may be
used to allow software and data to be transferred between the computing
system 400 and external devices. Examples of the communications
interface 418 may include a network interface (such as an Ethernet or other
NIC card), a communications port (such as for example, a USB port, a micro
USB port), Near field Communication (NFC), etc. Software and data
transferred via the communications interface 418 are in the form of signals
which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable
of being received by the communications interface 418. These signals are
provided to the communications interface 418 via a channel 420. The
channel 420 may carry signals and may be implemented using a wireless
medium, wire or cable, fiber optics, or other communications medium. Some
examples of the channel 420 may include a phone line, a cellular phone
link, an RF link, a Bluetooth link, a network interface, a local or wide area
network, and other communications channels.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
20
[044] The computing system 400 may further include Input/Output
(I/O) devices 422. Examples may include, but are not limited to a display,
keypad, microphone, audio speakers, vibrating motor, LED lights, etc. The
I/O devices 422 may receive input from a user and also display an output of
the computation performed by the processor 402. In this document, the
terms “computer program product” and “computer-readable medium” may
be used generally to refer to media such as, for example, the memory 406,
the storage devices 408, the removable storage unit 414, or signal(s) on the
channel 420. These and other forms of computer-readable media may be
involved in providing one or more sequences of one or more instructions to
the processor 402 for execution. Such instructions, generally referred to as
“computer program code” (which may be grouped in the form of computer
programs or other groupings), when executed, enable the computing
system 400 to perform features or functions of embodiments of the present
invention.
[045] In an embodiment where the elements are implemented
using software, the software may be stored in a computer-readable medium
and loaded into the computing system 400 using, for example, the
removable storage unit 414, the media drive 410 or the communications
interface 418. The control logic (in this example, software instructions or
computer program code), when executed by the processor 402, causes the
processor 402 to perform the functions of the invention as described herein.
[046] Thus, the disclosed method and system try to overcome the
technical problem of managing items in warehouses through distributed
ledger. The method and system provide a cleaner item master table for
better collaboration across warehouses. Further, the method and system
enforce unique item identification across various ERP systems for same
company by creating a report across ERPs will not need pre-processing the
data every time. Further, the method and system help organizations take
better decisions using better quality data by maintaining a duplicate item in
inventory cost, company money, and overheads such as quality checks and
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
21
threshold levels, etc. Further, the method and system provide for better
reporting and insight generation using streamlined data. Further, the
method and system automate the item identification function using smart
contract and SKU rationalization. Further, the method and system make
distributed data and transactions visible across warehouses in a multiwarehouse system.
[047] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the
techniques described in the various embodiments discussed above are not
routine, or conventional, or well understood in the art. The techniques
discussed above provide for managing items in warehouses through
distributed ledger. The techniques use blockchain for secure and
transparent transactions through a distributed ledger-based approach. The
techniques first send a request from a first warehouse to each of a plurality
of warehouses to add an item to an ERP system associated with each of
the plurality of warehouses and to a distributed ledger. The first warehouse
is one of the plurality of warehouses. The request includes a unique identity
and metadata assigned by the first warehouse to the item. Each of the
plurality of warehouses includes a copy of the distributed ledger. For each
of the plurality of warehouses, the techniques then check whether the item
exists in an ERP system associated with a warehouse based on the
metadata of the item within the request from the first warehouse. The
techniques then receive a response to the request from each of the plurality
of warehouses based on the checking. The response is one of an approval
of the request or a rejection of the request. The techniques then manage
the item in the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and the distributed ledger based on the response received from
each of the plurality of warehouses.
[048] In light of the above mentioned advantages and the technical
advancements provided by the disclosed method and system, the claimed
steps as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood
in the art, as the claimed steps enable the following solutions to the existing
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
22
problems in conventional technologies. Further, the claimed steps clearly
bring an improvement in the functioning of the device itself as the claimed
steps provide a technical solution to a technical problem.
[049] The specification has described method and system for
managing items in warehouses through distributed ledger. The illustrated
steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it
should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change
the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples
are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further,
the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined
herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be
defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are
appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions,
variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to
persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained
herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed
embodiments.
[050] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media
may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present
disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of
physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may
be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store
instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions
for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the
embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium”
should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves
and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include random
access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory,
nonvolatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and
any other known physical storage media.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
23
[051] It is intended that the disclosure and examples be
considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of disclosed
embodiments being indicated by the following claims.

CLAIMS
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A method (300) for managing items in warehouses through distributed
ledger (102), the method (300) comprising:
sending (302), by an inventory management device (104), a request
from a first warehouse to each of a plurality of warehouses to add an item
to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system associated with each of
the plurality of warehouses and to a distributed ledger (102), wherein the
first warehouse is one of the plurality of warehouses, wherein the request
comprises a unique identity and metadata assigned by the first warehouse
to the item, and wherein each of the plurality of warehouses comprises a
copy of the distributed ledger (102);
for each of the plurality of warehouses, checking (304), by the
inventory management device (104), whether the item exists in an ERP
system associated with a warehouse based on the metadata of the item
within the request from the first warehouse;
receiving (306), by the inventory management device (104), a
response to the request from each of the plurality of warehouses based on
the checking, wherein the response is one of an approval of the request or
a rejection of the request; and
managing (308), by the inventory management device (104), the
item in the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and the distributed ledger (102) based on the response
received from each of the plurality of warehouses.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein managing (308) the item in the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102) further comprises adding (310) the item to the
ERP system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
25
distributed ledger (102) when the response received from each of the
plurality of warehouses is an approval of the request, wherein the item is
added to the ERP system and the distributed ledger (102) along with the
unique identity and the metadata within the request.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rejection of the request is received
from a warehouse from the plurality of warehouses when a similar item
exists within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, wherein the
rejection of the request comprises a unique identity and metadata of an
item within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, wherein the
response received from one of the plurality of warehouses is a rejection of
the request, and wherein managing (308) the item in the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed
ledger (102) further comprises:
verifying (312), by the first warehouse, the metadata corresponding
to the similar item within the ERP system associated with the one of the
plurality of warehouses;
one of:
sending (314) a subsequent request from the first warehouse
to each of the plurality of warehouses to add the item to the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to
the distributed ledger (102), wherein the subsequent request
comprises additional metadata corresponding to the item, and
wherein the additional metadata distinguishes the item from the
similar item of the one of the plurality of warehouses; or
sending (316) a subsequent request from the first warehouse
to each of the plurality of warehouses to add the similar item within
the ERP system associated with the one of the plurality of
warehouses to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality
of warehouses and to the distributed ledger (102);
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
26
receiving (318) a response to the subsequent request from each of
the plurality of warehouses; and
adding (320) one of the item or the similar item to the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed
ledger (102) when the response received from each of the plurality of
warehouses is an approval of the subsequent request, wherein the one of
the item or the similar item is added to the ERP system and the distributed
ledger (102) along with the unique identity and the metadata within the
subsequent request.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rejection of the request is received
from a warehouse from the plurality of warehouses when a similar item
exists within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, wherein the
rejection of the request comprises a unique identity and metadata of an
item within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, wherein the
response received from two or more of the plurality of warehouses is a
rejection of the request, and wherein managing (308) the item in the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102) further comprises:
verifying (322), by the first warehouse, the metadata corresponding
to the similar item within the ERP system associated with each of the two
or more of the plurality of warehouses;
one of:
sending (324) a subsequent request from the first warehouse
to each of the plurality of warehouses to add the item to the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to
the distributed ledger (102), wherein the subsequent request
comprises additional metadata corresponding to the item, and
wherein the additional metadata distinguishes the item from the
similar item of each of the two or more of the plurality of
warehouses;
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
27
sending (326) a subsequent request from the first warehouse
to each of the plurality of warehouses to add a similar item selected
from similar items within ERP systems associated with the two or
more of the plurality of warehouses to the ERP system associated
with each of the plurality of warehouses and to the distributed
ledger (102);
receiving (328) a response to the subsequent request from each of
the plurality of warehouses; and
adding (330) one of the item or the selected similar item to the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102) when a consensus of responses of the plurality of
warehouses is an approval of the subsequent request, wherein the one of
the item or the selected similar item is added to the ERP system and the
distributed ledger (102) along with the unique identity and the metadata
within the subsequent request, wherein the consensus comprises a
majority of the plurality of warehouses, and wherein the adding one of the
item or the selected similar item to the ERP system is based on the
response of the first warehouse when the consensus is not achieved.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses with the unique identity
and the metadata corresponding to the item within the distributed ledger
(102) through the copy of the distributed ledger (102).
6. A system (200) for managing items in warehouses through distributed
ledger (102), the system (200) comprising:
a processor (210); and
a memory (212) communicatively coupled to the processor (210),
wherein the memory stores processor instructions, which when executed
by the processor (210), cause the processor (210) to:
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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send (302) a request from a first warehouse to each of a
plurality of warehouses to add an item to an Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and to a distributed ledger (102), wherein the first
warehouse is one of the plurality of warehouses, wherein the
request comprises a unique identity and metadata assigned by the
first warehouse to the item, and wherein each of the plurality of
warehouses comprises a copy of the distributed ledger (102);
for each of the plurality of warehouses, check (304) whether
the item exists in an ERP system associated with a warehouse
based on the metadata of the item within the request from the first
warehouse;
receive (306) a response to the request from each of the
plurality of warehouses based on the checking, wherein the
response is one of an approval of the request or a rejection of the
request; and
manage (308) the item in the ERP system associated with
each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed ledger (102)
based on the response received from each of the plurality of
warehouses.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein to manage (308) the item in the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102), the processor instructions, on execution, further
cause the processor to add (310) the item to the ERP system associated
with each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed ledger (102)
when the response received from each of the plurality of warehouses is an
approval of the request, wherein the item is added to the ERP system and
the distributed ledger (102) along with the unique identity and the
metadata within the request.
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
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8. The system of claim 6, wherein the rejection of the request is received
from a warehouse from the plurality of warehouses when a similar item
exists within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, and wherein
the rejection of the request comprises a unique identity and metadata of
an item within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, wherein
the response received from one of the plurality of warehouses is a
rejection of the request, and wherein to manage (308) the item in the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102), the processor instructions, on execution, further
cause the processor to:
verify (312), by the first warehouse, the metadata corresponding to
the similar item within the ERP system associated with the one of the
plurality of warehouses;
one of:
send (314) a subsequent request from the first warehouse to
each of the plurality of warehouses to add the item to the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to
the distributed ledger (102), wherein the subsequent request
comprises additional metadata corresponding to the item, and
wherein the additional metadata distinguishes the item from the
similar item of the one of the plurality of warehouses; or
send (316) a subsequent request from the first warehouse to
each of the plurality of warehouses to add the similar item within the
ERP system associated with the one of the plurality of warehouses
to the ERP system associated with each of the plurality of
warehouses and to the distributed ledger (102);
receive (318) a response to the subsequent request from each of
the plurality of warehouses; and
add (320) one of the item or the similar item to the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the distributed
ledger (102) when the response received from each of the plurality of
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
30
warehouses is an approval of the subsequent request, wherein the one of
the item or the similar item is added to the ERP system and the distributed
ledger (102) along with the unique identity and the metadata within the
subsequent request.
9. The system of claim 6, wherein the rejection of the request is received
from a warehouse from the plurality of warehouses when a similar item
exists within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, and wherein
the rejection of the request comprises a unique identity and metadata of
an item within the ERP system associated with the warehouse, wherein
the response received from two or more of the plurality of warehouses is a
rejection of the request, and wherein to manage (308) the item in the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102), the processor instructions, on execution, further
cause the processor to:
verify (322), by the first warehouse, the metadata corresponding to
the similar item within the ERP system associated with each of the two or
more of the plurality of warehouses;
one of:
send (324) a subsequent request from the first warehouse to
each of the plurality of warehouses to add the item to the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and to
the distributed ledger (102), wherein the subsequent request
comprises additional metadata corresponding to the item, and
wherein the additional metadata distinguishes the item from the
similar item of each of the two or more of the plurality of
warehouses;
send (326) a subsequent request from the first warehouse to
each of the plurality of warehouses to add a similar item selected
from similar items within ERP systems associated with the two or
more of the plurality of warehouses to the ERP system associated
Docket No.: IIP-HCL-P0080
31
with each of the plurality of warehouses and to the distributed
ledger (102);
receive (328) a response to the subsequent request from each of
the plurality of warehouses; and
add (330) one of the item or the selected similar item to the ERP
system associated with each of the plurality of warehouses and the
distributed ledger (102) when a consensus of responses of the plurality of
warehouses is an approval of the subsequent request, wherein the one of
the item or the selected similar item is added to the ERP system and the
distributed ledger (102) along with the unique identity and the metadata
within the subsequent request, and wherein the consensus comprises a
majority of the plurality of warehouses, and wherein the adding one of the
item or the selected similar item to the ERP system is based on the
response of the first warehouse when the consensus is not achieved.
10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor instructions, on
execution, further cause the processor to update the ERP system
associated with each of the plurality of warehouses with the unique identity
and the metadata corresponding to the item within the distributed ledger
(102) through the copy of the distributed ledger (102).