US 11,868,950 B2
Systems and methods for determining duty costs associated with a supply chain network
Tung Hoang Le, Waterloo (CA); Zheng Ouyang, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Seyed Ali Taghavi Behbahani, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Gary Robert Strickler, Jr., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to Coupa Software Incorporated, San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Coupa Software Incorporated, San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/185,942.
Prior Publication US 2022/0270043 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/08 (2023.01); G06Q 10/0834 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/08345 (2013.01) 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method executed using one or more processors, the method comprising:
receiving input data comprising an order to provide a quantity of one or more finished goods to a site through a supply chain network, the one or more finished goods each comprising one or more raw materials;
accessing information that defines an architecture of the supply chain network comprising a plurality of sites, wherein the information comprises a location of each of the plurality of sites, the input data and information being stored in working copies of tables in computer memory;
decomposing, by the processors, the supply chain network into one or more sub-networks to reduce a computer memory requirement prior to an enumeration of path solutions, wherein a number of sub-networks is based on a number of common raw materials of the one or more raw materials;
detecting, by the processors, one or more loops in the supply chain network, wherein a loop comprises a plurality of path fragments connecting two or more sites in a circular manner;
prior to enumeration of one or more path solutions, eliminating one or more of the detected loops to reduce model processing deadlocks or errors;
enumerating, by the processors and based on the input data and the architecture, the one or more path solutions along the supply chain network or along the one or more sub-networks to fulfill the order, wherein each enumerated path solution comprises a set of one or more path fragments, wherein each path fragment associated with an enumerated path solution defines a movement of a sub-quantity of the one or more finished goods or the one or more raw materials between two sites of the plurality of sites;
generating, during the enumeration of the path solutions, by the computer-implemented method and based on a heuristic approach, a subset of possible path solutions to fulfill the order;
filtering, during or after the enumeration of the path solutions, one or more invalid path fragments based on one or more site constraints or predetermined criteria, to further decrease a number of possible path solutions to fulfill the order;
dynamically releasing computer memory associated with the one or more invalid path fragments to reduce the computer memory requirement;
determining a cost associated with each path fragment associated with each enumerated path solution based on respective locations of the two sites connected by the respective path fragment and the sub-quantity of the one or more finished goods or one or more finished goods raw materials moved between the two sites;
determining one or more optimal path solutions based on the subset of possible path solutions generated during the enumeration and the determined cost associated with each path fragment associated with each enumerated path solution; and
outputting the one or more optimal path solutions for display on a client device.