Method and system for manipulation of cost information in a distributed virtual enterprise

• US 20030187748A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumhyr, David B., MacPhail, Margaret G., Hassinger, Sebastian D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product for processing e-commerce information are presented. A business entity may transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace. The business entity retrieves dependency information about a commercial transaction from an e-commerce agreement. The business entity incorporates the dependency information, e.g., dates, costs, deliveries, etc., as dependency relationships within a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the first business entity. User input is received for manipulating a cost dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

Claims

1. A method for processing e-commerce information for a business entity, the method comprising:

retrieving a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the project model comprises dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the project model with respect to specific parameters; and

receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

receiving user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the user input into the project model for modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.

6. An apparatus for processing e-commerce information for a business entity, the apparatus comprising:

means for retrieving a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the project model comprises dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the project model with respect to specific parameters; and

means for receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

means for receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

means for receiving user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the user input into the project model for modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

means for receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

means for modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

means for automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.

11. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing e-commerce information for a business entity, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for retrieving a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the project model comprises dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the project model with respect to specific parameters; and

instructions for receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:

instructions for receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

instructions for receiving user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the user input into the project model for modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:

instructions for receiving user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

instructions for modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

instructions for automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.