Method for ordering and consigning items

• US 20030120556A1
• Filed: 09/06/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Rosenbaum, Walter, Reich, Karlheinz
• Granted Patent: US 7,028,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method for processing on-line orders wherein the on-seller is liberated from having to maintain cumbersome or uneconomical warehouse stocks. Herein, after an order is received from a customer, the on-line seller subcontracts for the item sought by the customer and sends out a printing order. Both subcontract and printing order include an identification key which is later used to associate printed materials and item, so as to facilitate special packing of the item with special materials associated with the on-line seller, and the forwarding of the finally packaged item to the customer.

Claims

1. A method for processing an on-line order for an item, said order received by an on-line seller from a customer, comprising the steps of:

at said on-line seller, placing a printing order for a printed product with a printing center, said printing order and printed product comprising at least seller data, item data, customer data, packing instruction, and identification key;

at said on-line seller, placing a supply order for said item with a third party, said supply order including at least said identification key;

at said printing center conveying said printed product to a service center;

at said third party, packaging said item and conveying packaged item to said service center with said identification key;

at said service center, associating said printed product and item in accordance with said identification key;

at said service center, repackaging said item in accordance with said seller data, customer data, item data, and packing instruction; and

forwarding repackaged item to said customer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identification key is a bar code.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identification key is human readable indicia.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said printing order further comprises a cover letter from said on-line seller to said customer and informationals regarding said seller.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said seller data includes at least one of:

seller name and address;

seller cover letter to customer;

seller information such as advertisements;

company logo; and

company color.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said customer data includes at least one of:

customer name and address; and

customer special requests.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said item data includes at least one of:

item identification;

item special assembly; and

item special handling.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said packaging requirements includes at least one of:

special wrapping specific to on-line seller, customer, item, or situation;

special handling specific to the handling of the item, delivery, on-line seller, or customer;

special assemble of the item, or package; and

special routing for the package.

9. A method for processing an on-line order from a customer for an item comprising the steps of:

requesting printing and packing materials,

assigning an identification key to said materials,

requesting said item and assigning said identification key to said item,

associating said materials and said item in accordance with said identification key, and

packaging said item with said materials and forwarding said item to said customer with said materials.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said identification key is a bar code.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein said identification key is human readable indicia.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said step of requesting printing is made from an on-line seller to a printing center.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said identification key is provided to said printing center during said step of requesting printing.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein said step of requesting said item is made to at least one of an item supplier and item manufacturer.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said identification key is provided to said at least one of an item supplier and item manufacturer with said step of requesting an item.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein said step of associating is performed at a service center after said service center has received said materials from a printing center and said item from at least one of an item supplier and item manufacturer.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of packaging is performed by said service center.