Order acceleration through user document storage and reuse

• US 20040158496A1
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tenorio, Manoel
• Granted Patent: US 10,282,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

An electronic commerce system for order acceleration through user document reuse includes one or more document repositories that stores a plurality of user documents. The system also includes a global content directory that includes a plurality of product and document classes organized in a hierarchy where each class categorizes a number of documents and is associated with one or more attributes of the documents categorized in the class. The system further includes a search interface to search the user documents. A security module encrypts the user documents and decrypts the user documents when a buyer has the required permission level. An intelligence module updates one or more sections of the user documents with current information so that a buyer can reuse the user document to accelerate an order.

Claims

1. An electronic commerce system for order acceleration through user document reuse, the system comprising:

one or more document repositories operable to store a plurality of user documents;

a global content directory including a plurality of classes organized in a hierarchy, each class categorizing the user documents and associated with one or more attributes of the user documents categorized in the class, at least one of the classes having one or more associated pointers that identify one or more document repositories;

a search interface associated with the global content directory, the search interface operable to communicate a search query to one or more document repositories identified by one of the pointers to search the documents stored in the document repositories;

a security module operable to decrypt the user documents to allow a user to access the user documents; and

an intelligence module operable to update one or more sections in the user documents with information related to an associated transaction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the documents comprise standard documents stored in a shared document repository.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the documents comprise unique documents stored in one or more seller databases.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the classes comprise a plurality of document classes.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the classes comprise a plurality of product classes.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the security module decrypts the user documents when the user requesting the user documents has a required permission level.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligence module updates the sections in the user documents when the user requests the user documents to be updated.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the search interface is further operable to allow the user to view user documents after the security module decrypts the user documents but before the intelligence updates the user documents with the information related to an associated transaction.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligence module is further operable to electronically create one or more blank standard documents from the user documents, the blank standard documents requiring the user to manually enter data into the sections of the blank standard document the first time the user views the blank standard document.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the intelligence module:

removes information from the sections of the user documents; and

arranges the sections in a particular order as a new document to create the blank standard documents.

11. A method for order acceleration through user document storage and reuse, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of user documents in one or more document repositories;

associating the user documents with a global content directory, the global content directory including a plurality of one or more classes organized in a hierarchy, each class categorizing the user documents and associated with one or more of the user documents categorized in the class;

searching for particular user documents by navigating through one or more of the classes;

decrypting the user documents to allow a user to view the user documents; and

reissuing the user documents updated with information related to an associated transaction.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the classes comprise a plurality of document classes.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the classes comprise a plurality of product classes.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises automatically changing one or more sections in the user documents to include the information related to the associated transaction.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises determining which sections of the user documents are generic and which sections are specific to a particular transaction.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises dynamically adjusting the generic sections of the user documents.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises determining which sections carry forward into one or more reissued user document.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein decrypting the user documents comprises determining that the user has a permission level required for decryption.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising viewing the generic sections and the transaction specific sections of the user documents after the decryption of the user documents.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein searching for particular user documents comprises navigating through the document classes searching for a particular type of user document.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein searching for particular user documents comprises navigating through the product classes searching for user documents associated with a particular product.

22. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

electronically creating one or more blank standard documents; and

manually entering current information into the blank standard document the first time the user views the blank standard document.

23. Software for order acceleration through user document storage and reuse, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:

store a plurality of user documents in one or more document repositories;

associate the user documents with a global content directory, the global content directory including a plurality of one or more classes organized in a hierarchy, each class categorizing the user documents and associated with one or more of the user documents categorized in the class;

search for particular user documents by navigating through one or more of the classes;

decrypt the user documents to allow a user to view the user documents; and

reissue the user documents updated with information related to an associated transaction.

24. The software of claim 23 wherein the classes comprise a plurality of document classes.

25. The software of claim 23 wherein the classes comprise a plurality of product classes.

26. The software of claim 23 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises automatically changing one or more sections in the user documents to include the information related to the associated transaction.

27. The software of claim 23 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises determining which sections of the user documents are generic and which sections are specific to a particular transaction.

28. The software of claim 27 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises dynamically adjusting the generic sections of the user documents.

29. The software of claim 27 wherein reissuing the user documents comprises determining which sections carry forward into one or more reissued user document.

30. The software of claim 23 wherein decrypting the user documents comprises determining that the user has a permission level required for decryption.

31. The software of claim 23 further operable to view the generic sections and the transaction specific sections of the user documents after the decryption of the user documents.

32. The software of claim 23 wherein searching for particular user documents comprises navigating through the document classes searching for a particular type of user document.

33. The software of claim 23 wherein searching for particular user documents comprises navigating through the product classes searching for user documents associated with a particular product.

34. The software of claim 23 further operable to:

electronically create one or more blank standard documents; and

manually enter current information into the b lank standard document the first time the user views the blank standard document.

35. A system for order acceleration through user document storage and reuse, the system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of user documents;

means for associating the user documents with a global content directory, the global content directory including a plurality of one or more classes organized in a hierarchy, each class categorizing the user documents and associated with one or more of the user documents categorized in the class;

means for searching for particular user documents by navigating through one or more of the classes;

means for decrypting the user documents to allow a user to view the user documents; and

means for reissuing the user documents updated with information related to an associated transaction.