Supplier/reseller interaction

• US 20030050849A1
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Plumriver Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Plumriver Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Marchione, John R., Keller, Beth A.
• Application Number:
  US09/950,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method that includes, (a) from a communication link, receiving items of data from suppliers with respect to products offered by the suppliers for sale to sellers of the products, different items of data being received in different formats, (b) expressing the different data items in a common format, and (c) storing the different data items as expressed in the common format in a single database table structure.

Claims

1. A method comprising

from a communication link, receiving items of data from suppliers with respect to products offered by the suppliers for sale to sellers of the products, different items of data being received in different formats,

expressing the different data items in a common format, and

storing the different data items as expressed in the common format in a single database table structure.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the common format comprises a mark-up language format.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the mark-up language format comprises XML.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the data items are stored in a single variable length field of the database table structure.

5. The method of claim 4 in which each of the data items includes data elements of at least two different types.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the items of data include attributes of the products.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the items of data include information about transactions between the suppliers and buyers of the products.

8. The method of claim 1 also including

storing the items in a mark-up language format, and

using the stored data items to generate web pages for presentation to buyers.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the data items include transactional items that reflect current states of transactions between a supplier and customers of the supplier, and also including displaying the current states to customers in response to requests, the displaying of the current states being configured in accordance with the identities of the customers.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the configuration of the displaying of the current state of a transaction is controlled by the supplier with which the customer is engaging in the transaction.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the control by the supplier is implemented prior to the time of the request by the customer.