Method and system for classifying retail products and services using characteristic-basedgrouping structures

• US 20050197883A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Behrendt-Schinke, Cornelia, Haupenthal, Jorg, Kettner, Bjorn
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

A method of and system for classifying retail products and services is disclosed. The method includes determining a grouping of characteristic values in a computerized system, wherein the grouping of characteristic values includes a subset of a plurality of predetermined values for a characteristic. The method also includes associating the grouping of characteristic values with a grouping of at least one of retail products and services. The system includes means for determining a grouping of characteristic values, wherein the grouping of characteristic values includes a subset of a plurality of predetermined values for a characteristic. The system also includes means for associating the grouping of characteristic values with a grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

Claims

1. A method of classifying retail products and services, the method comprising:

determining a grouping of characteristic values in a computerized system, wherein the grouping of characteristic values includes a subset of a plurality of predetermined values for a characteristic; and

associating the grouping of characteristic values with a grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is one of a color and a size associated with a retail product.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is based on a seasonal grouping of colors associated with a grouping of retail products.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of at least one of retail products and services is associated with a merchandise hierarchy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is determined in response to user input from a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is configured to be associated with multiple groupings of at least one of retail products and services.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is a first grouping of characteristic values, and wherein the first grouping of characteristic values and a second grouping of characteristic values include at least one common value for the characteristic.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first grouping of characteristic values and a second grouping of characteristic values are configured to be assigned to the same grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is associated with the grouping of at least one of retail products and services in response to user input from a graphical user interface.

10. A system for classifying retail products and services, the system comprising:

means for determining a grouping of characteristic values, wherein the grouping of characteristic values includes a subset of a plurality of predetermined values for a characteristic; and

means for associating the grouping of characteristic values with a grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the characteristic is one of a color and a size associated with a retail product.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is based on a seasonal grouping of colors associated with a grouping of retail products.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the grouping of at least one of retail products and services is associated with a merchandise hierarchy.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for determining the grouping of characteristic values is configured to determine the grouping of characteristic values in response to user input from a graphical user interface.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is configured to be associated with multiple groupings of at least one of retail products and services.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is a first grouping of characteristic values, and wherein the first grouping of characteristic values and a second grouping of characteristic values include at least one common value for the characteristic.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first grouping of characteristic values and a second grouping of characteristic values are configured to be assigned to the same grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for associating the grouping of characteristic values with the grouping of at least one of retail products and services is configured to associate the grouping of characteristic values with the grouping of at least one of retail products and services in response to user input from a graphical user interface.

19. A program product for classifying retail products and services, the program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the following method steps:

determining a grouping of characteristic values, wherein the grouping of characteristic values includes a subset of a plurality of predetermined values for a characteristic; and

associating the grouping of characteristic values with a grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

20. The program product of claim 19, wherein the characteristic is one of a color and a size associated with a retail product.

21. The program product of claim 19, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is based on a grouping of seasonal colors associated with a grouping of retail products.

22. The program product of claim 19, wherein the grouping of at least one of retail products and services is associated with a merchandise hierarchy.

23. The program product of claim 19, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is determined in response to user input from a graphical user interface.

24. The program product of claim 19, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is configured to be associated with multiple groupings of at least one of retail products and services.

25. The program product of claim 19, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is a first grouping of characteristic values, and wherein the first grouping of characteristic values and a second grouping of characteristic values include at least one common value for the characteristic.

26. The program product of claim 25, wherein the first grouping of characteristic values and a second grouping of characteristic values are configured to be assigned to the same grouping of at least one of retail products and services.

27. The program product of claim 19, wherein the grouping of characteristic values is associated with the grouping of at least one of retail products and services in response to user input from a graphical user interface.

28. A data structure for classifying retail products and services, the data structure comprising:

a plurality of predetermined values for a characteristic; and

a plurality of characteristic value groupings, wherein each characteristic value grouping includes a subset of the plurality of predetermined values for the characteristic, and wherein the plurality of characteristic value groupings form hierarchical structure within the data structure.