Demand aggregation and distribution system

• US 20030065592A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TVL LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sabre Incorporated (Sabre Corp.)
• Inventors: Jones, Terrell B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,376,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention use a data processing system to aggregate information reflecting demand for an item based on input requests associated with the item, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information, provide the aggregated information to a plurality of suppliers, each capable of supplying the item, receives at least one proposed response from at least one of the suppliers, including a proposal for providing the item to the remote users, and provides the proposed response to the remote users based on the remote user identification information. Aggregated information is provided without the remote user identification information associated the requests.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, the method comprising the steps performed by a data processing system, of:

aggregating information reflecting demand for an item based on input requests associated with the item, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information;

providing the aggregated information to a plurality of suppliers, each capable of supplying the item without also providing remote user identification information from the requests;

receiving at least one proposed response from at least one of the suppliers, including a proposal for providing the item to the remote user; and

providing the proposed response to the remote user based on the remote user identification information.

2. A method for aggregating and satisfying demand for travel products, the method comprising the steps performed by a data processing system of:

aggregating information reflecting demand for a set of travel products based on input requests, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information;

selecting a group travel product based on the aggregated information; and

providing information reflecting the group travel product to the remote user based on the remote user identification information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of selecting a group travel product based on the aggregated information includes the substeps of:

providing the aggregated information to a plurality of travel product suppliers; and

receiving responses from a set of the travel product suppliers, each response including information reflecting a proposed group travel product, wherein each proposed group travel product reflects a discount for the corresponding travel product that is determined based on the aggregated information,

and wherein the step of providing information reflecting the group travel product to the remote user based on the remote user identification information includes the substep of;

transmitting travel option information related to at least one of the proposed group travel products to a set of remote users based on the aggregated information.

4. A system for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, comprising:

a processor for executing programs; and

a memory for storing a program executable by the processor, the stored program including instructions for (i) aggregating information reflecting demand for an item based on input requests associated with the item, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information, (ii) providing the aggregated information to a plurality of suppliers, each capable of supplying the item without also providing remote user identification information from the requests, (iii) receiving at least one proposed response from at least one of the suppliers, including a proposal for providing the item to the remote users, and (iv) providing the proposed response to the remote users based on the remote user identification information.

5. A system for aggregating and satisfying demand for travel products, comprising:

a processor for executing programs; and

a memory for storing a program executable by the processor, the stored program including instructions for (i) aggregating information reflecting demand for a set of travel products based on input requests, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information, (ii) selecting a group travel product based on the aggregated information, and (iii) providing information reflecting the group travel product to the remote users based on the remote user identification information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein selecting a group travel product based on the aggregated information includes (a) providing the aggregated information to a plurality of travel product suppliers, and (b) receiving responses from a set of the travel product suppliers, each response including information reflecting a proposed group travel product, wherein each proposed group travel product reflects a discount for the corresponding travel product that is determined based on the aggregated information, and wherein providing information reflecting the group travel product to the remote users based on the remote user identification information includes (a) transmitting travel option information related to at least one of the proposed group travel products to a set of the remote users based on the aggregated information.

7. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, the method comprising:

aggregating information reflecting demand for an item based on input requests associated with the item, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information;

providing the aggregated information to a plurality of suppliers, each capable of supplying the item without also providing remote user identification information from the requests;

receiving at least one proposed response from at least one of the suppliers, including a proposal for providing the item to the remote users; and

providing the proposed response to the remote users based on the remote user identification information.

8. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for aggregating and satisfying demand for travel products, the method comprising:

aggregating information reflecting demand for a set of travel products based on input requests, each request having been received from a remote user and including remote user identification information;

selecting a group travel product based on the aggregated information; and

providing information reflecting the group travel product to the remote users based on the remote user identification information.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein selecting a group travel product based on the aggregated information includes:

providing the aggregated information to a plurality of travel product suppliers; and

receiving responses from a set of the travel product suppliers, each response including information reflecting a proposed group travel product, wherein each proposed group travel product reflects a discount for the corresponding travel product that is determined based on the aggregated information,

and wherein providing information reflecting the group travel product to the remote users biased on the remote user identification information includes;

transmitting travel option information related to at least one of the proposed group travel products to a set of the remote users based on the aggregated information.

10. A method for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, the method comprising the steps performed by a data processing system, of:

receiving information reflecting demand for a set of items by a plurality of users;

accessing a memory for information on a plurality of suppliers and their offerings to identify suppliers having offerings capable of satisfying the demand;

generating one or more package responses, each package response reflecting offerings of at least one of the identified suppliers;

notifying each of the plurality of users of each package response using stored information identifying a location to address any package responses to each of the user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a purchase commitment from a first user of the plurality of users, including information identifying a package response selected by the first user and payment information identifying the first user'"'"'s selected form of payment for the selected package response.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

notifying the supplier associated with the selected package response the purchase commitment.

13. A method for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, the method comprising the steps performed by a data processing system, of:

receiving information reflecting demand for a set of items by a plurality of users;

providing a plurality of suppliers with a notification reflecting the demand information;

receiving one or more package responses from suppliers, each package response representing a supplier'"'"'s offering intended by the supplier to satisfy the demand;

notifying each of the plurality of users of each package response using stored information identifying a location to address any package responses to each of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a purchase commitment from a first user of the plurality of users, including information identifying a package response selected by the first user and payment information identifying the first user'"'"'s selected form of payment for the selected package response.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

notifying the supplier associated with the selected package response the purchase commitment.

16. A system for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, comprising:

means for receiving information reflecting demand for a set of items by a plurality of users;

means for accessing a memory for information on a plurality of suppliers and their offerings to identify suppliers having offerings capable of satisfying the demand;

means for generating one or more package responses, each package response reflecting offerings of at least one of the identified suppliers;

means for notifying each of the plurality, of users of each package response using stored information identifying a location to address any package responses to each of the user.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving a purchase commitment from a first user of the plurality of users, including information identifying a package response selected by the first user and payment information identifying the first user'"'"'s selected form of payment for the selected package response.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for notifying the supplier associated with the selected package response the purchase commitment.

19. A system for aggregating and satisfying demand for items, comprising:

means for receiving information reflecting demand for a set of items by a plurality of users;

means for providing a plurality of suppliers with a notification reflecting the demand information;

means for receiving one or more package responses from suppliers, each package response representing a supplier'"'"'s offering intended by the supplier to satisfy the demand; and

means for notifying each of the plurality of users of each package response using stored information identifying a location to address any package responses to each of the user.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for receiving a purchase commitment from a first user of the plurality of users, including information identifying a package response selected by the first user and payment information identifying the first user'"'"'s selected form of payment for the selected package response.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for notifying the supplier associated with the selected package response the purchase commitment.

22. A computer-implemented method for aggregating and satisfying demand for items using a network, comprising:

providing an interface in the network for consumer and supplier to share information concerning items;

permitting each one of a set of consumers access to the interface to provide consumer demand information reflecting demand for a set of items;

permitting a set of suppliers access to the interface to review aggregated demand information that reflects the information provided by all of the consumers in the set of consumers, each one of the suppliers in the set of suppliers being selected based on stored information reflecting each supplier'"'"'s ability to satisfy the demand for the set of items;

receiving one or more package responses, each package response reflecting offerings of at least one of the selected suppliers;

notifying each of the plurality of users of each package response using stored information identifying a location to address any package responses to each of the user.