Patent Application
20090063169
The current invention is directed to the certification of products or processes in certain industries, and more particularly to a method of providing business opportunities in areas or for products requiring certification to an uncertified party through the use of another party's certification.
Product certification is the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance and/or quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in regulations such as a building code and nationally accredited test standards or that it complies with a set of regulations governing quality and/or minimum performance requirements.
Certification of products may indicate their established suitability for a specified purpose (e.g. a computer system might be certified as being fully compatible with a large software package). In addition, product certification enables the imposition of standards for safety related articles and systems. Once certified, products may be endorsed with a quality mark or be eligible to display a certification mark.
To begin the certification process, a certifying body or notified body typically audits those who may seek certification of products or processes. The party seeking certification typically submits its quality system procedures to the certifying organization. The audit of the quality system includes all information necessary to make the product, including descriptions of the equipment, how to run it, purchasing specifications for components and quality control measures for the components as they arrive in the factory or assembly area. With the process standard in its possession, the certifying body typically inspects the manufacturing process of the product that is intended to be certified. In addition, in order to receive certification for the product, the site making or assembling the product may need to be certified in order to verify that proper procedures and quality control parameters are in place at the point of assembly. Furthermore, the certifying body may require that employees of the entity seeking certification undergo specific and periodic training related to the certification. In one exemplary embodiment, the initial audit of the party seeking certification is completed by the notified body, while subsequent audits can be completed by the notified body and/or a certified party.
Unfortunately, the large amount of cost, time, and resources needed to obtain certification may discourage all but the largest companies from obtaining certification in many instances. Some companies may not have the money, capabilities, or resources to be able to afford to invest in the possibility of obtaining certification. Furthermore, some companies may only make a few products that could take advantage of the certification and, standing alone, the income from those products may not be worth the investment in the certification. Furthermore, because the opportunity to obtain certification in a particular industry is effectively limited to a select few members, innovation can also be limited in the industry covered by the certification.
What is needed in the art is a method and system for extending the certification of a certified party to a third party that wants to produce a product that will receive that certification. What is further needed in the art is a method for providing a party that produces a product with certification of that product without the producing party having to go through the certification process.
For a more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
The present invention supports a method and system for extending the certification of a certified party over a producing party that is not certified. Exemplary embodiments of the invention can be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying figures. While the exemplary embodiment will be described in reference to extending Atmospheres Explosive (“ATEX”) certification to a producing party, it should be recognized that the inventive methods described herein should not be limited to ATEX certification, but can be used to extend certification, standards, or qualification rights (hereinafter generally referred to as “certification”) of other certification, standards, or qualification bodies to a non-certified producing party with only minor adjustments known to those of ordinary skill in the art based on each standards or certifying body's particular requirements.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, aspects of the present invention and an exemplary operating environment for the implementation of the present invention will be described.
In one exemplary embodiment, the certification being sought by the producing party is ATEX certification. ATEX certification is applicable to electrical equipment and systems manufacturing. Compliance with the ATEX certification facilitates the free movement of goods throughout the European Union by harmonizing the technical and legal requirements for products intended for use in potentially explosive gas or dust atmospheres. The products covered by ATEX certification include any equipment which contains or constitutes a potential ignition source and which requires special measures to be incorporated to prevent initiating an explosion. The certification also covers safety and control devices installed outside of a hazardous area but having an explosion protection function. The certification further covers protective systems and items that prevent an explosion that has been initiated from spreading or causing damage.
In step 110, the certified party or notified body, such as Underwriters Laboratories for example, audits the producing party to determine if its products, processes, manufacturing or assembly area and quality control procedures satisfy the standards of the ATEX certification. The certified party or other available certified parties provide components for creating the product to the producing party in step 115. In one exemplary embodiment, the components provided by the certified party are components that satisfy the ATEX certification or are suitable for use with the ATEX certified product. In one exemplary embodiment, only the components that must meet the ATEX certification requirement are supplied by the certified party or another available certified party to the producing party. In this exemplary embodiment, the certified party manufactures or procures the certified components prior to supplying them to the producing party.
In step 120, the producing party assembles or manufactures the product. In one exemplary embodiment, at least a portion of the components for the product must be ATEX certified. The producing party indemnifies the certified party in step 125. In one exemplary embodiment, the indemnification covers any loss by the certified party related to the product or having the product certified. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that greater or less amounts of indemnification can be provided by the producing party. In step 130, the certified party has the product certified under the certification procedures. In one exemplary embodiment, under the ATEX certification procedures, the certified party would provide the product to a notified body that would conduct the certification. In certain exemplary embodiments, a notified body is a testing laboratory and certification organization. Typically each national government notifies (or designates) one or more testing/certification labs as an agency able to issue certifications. The product is made available for sale in step 135. In one exemplary embodiment, the product is made available for sale by the producing party. The process then continues from step 135 to the END step.
In step 215, the certified party receives a description of the operation of the product, for which certification is requested from the producing party. The producing party may or may not provide to the certified party results of design calculations for the product in step 220. In step 225, the certified party may or may not receive test reports from the producing party related to the product for which certification is requested. In certain exemplary embodiments, the certified party has test reports for a product that is similar to the product to be offered by the producing party and the certified party is able to use those test reports in place of testing reports for the producing party's product. The process then proceeds from step 225 to step 110 of
In step 310, an evaluation and audit of the production area or facilities of the producing party is completed to determine the suitability of the production area to make the product for which certification is sought. In one exemplary embodiment, the audit is limited to the production facility or portion thereof that the product will be made or assembled. Certification related to the training of the staff for the producing party on matters related to ATEX certification is conducted in step 315. In one exemplary embodiment, the certification step includes training a portion of the staff of the producing party on all or a portion of the issues necessary to maintain ATEX certification status under the certified body.
In one exemplary embodiment, the audit of the producing party will be conducted on a periodic basis to ensure that the quality systems, procedures and facility remain up to the standards required by the certified party. In one exemplary embodiment, the standards required by the certified party equate to the standards of the certifying body. In one exemplary embodiment, the audits are updated or conducted on an annual basis.
The certified party or another party that is certified provides the producing party with the components that require ATEX certification in step 415. In one exemplary embodiment, the components provided by the certified party were made or assembled by the certified party. In step 420, additional components for the product, for which certification is requested, may optionally be provided to the producing party. These components may be provided by the certified party or another party that may or may not be certified. In one exemplary embodiment, the additional components do not require ATEX certification. In one exemplary embodiment, the additional components are provided by a third party. In one exemplary embodiment, the product for which certification is requested only requires components having ATEX certification and thus, no additional components are provided to the producing party. The process continues from step 420 to step 120 of
In step 515, an ATEX certification for the product is issued by the notified body. In one exemplary embodiment, the certification is issued in the name of the certified party. In this exemplary embodiment, the certification remains with the certified party even if the producing party attempts to discontinue relations with the certified party. For example, if the producing party attempted to buy ATEX certified components from a third party and not make use of the certified party, the third party would not be able to provide the certification acquired by the certified party for the product. In step 520, the certified products are marked. In one exemplary embodiment, marking of the certified products includes placing the certification symbol on the certified product. In another exemplary embodiment, marking of the certified product includes placing the name of the certified party on the certified product. In another exemplary embodiment, for products, certifications or standards that do not require direct marking, indirect marking methods may be used for the product including, but not limited to placement of the certification or standards symbol and/or name of the certified party on the packaging or instructions of the product. The process continues from step 520 to step 135 of
In step 615, the producing party accepts the certified components for the product from the certified party, a designee of the certified party, or other suppliers. The producing party may accept additional components that do not require certification for the product in step 620 if and as necessary. In one exemplary embodiment, the additional components may be received from the certified party, another certified party, a third party or may be created or acquired by the producing party. In step 625, the producing party makes and/or assembles the product for which certification is desired.
The producing party presents the product and/or product documentation for certification in step 630. In one exemplary embodiment, the product and/or product documentation is provided to the certified party by the producing party. In certain exemplary embodiments, the product documentation includes, but is not limited to, product descriptions, test reports, drawings, instruction sheets and quality reports. The certified party submits the product and/or product documentation to the certifying body or notified body qualified to certify the product. In step 632, the notified body conducts an investigation into and may optionally test the product as part of the certification process. After the product is certified by the notified body, certifying body or standards body, as the case may be, the producing party receives notice of the same in step 635.
In an alternative embodiment, the certified party can extend a preexisting certification for another product to cover the product being manufactured by the producing party. This option of extending the certification is generally available if the product made by the producing party and the product already certified are substantially similar to one another or if the product being manufactured by the producing party is a subset of the certified product. In this alternative embodiment, there would be no need for the certified party to submit the product or documentation to the notified body or to receive another certification from the notified body. In step 640, the certification stamp, or mark, and in some instances the name of the certified party, is applied to the product that was certified. In step 645, the producing party offers the certified product for sale. The process continues from step 645 to the END step.
In conclusion, the foregoing exemplary embodiments enable a certified party to extend its certification to a non-certified party. Many other modifications, features, and embodiments will become evident to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated, therefore, that many aspects of the invention were described above by way of example only and are not intended as required or essential elements of the invention unless explicitly stated otherwise. Accordingly, it should be understood that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments and that numerous changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims. It should also be understood that the invention is not restricted to the illustrated embodiments and that various modifications can be made within the scope of the following claims.
