Method of and system for allocating an OTB-relevant purchasing contract

• US 20050216359A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Welter, Markus, Grendel, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,742,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method of and system for allocating a purchasing contract over a temporal period associated with the purchasing contract is disclosed. The method includes receiving data regarding the purchasing contract in a computerized system, distributing the received data regarding the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period, and applying at least one rule to the distributed data to determine whether the distribution of the data regarding the purchasing contract should be accepted or rejected. The system includes means for receiving data regarding the purchasing contract, means for distributing the received data regarding the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period, and means for applying at least one rule to the distributed data to determine whether the distribution of the data regarding the purchasing contract should be accepted or rejected.

Claims

1. A method of allocating a purchasing contract over a temporal period associated with the purchasing contract, the method comprising:

receiving data regarding the purchasing contract in a computerized system;

distributing the received data regarding the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period; and

applying at least one rule to the distributed data to determine whether the distribution of the data regarding the purchasing contract should be accepted or rejected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated temporal period includes a plurality of budgeting periods.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein data regarding the purchasing contract is distributed equally among the plurality of budgeting periods.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein distributed data for each budgeting period is associated with a budget based on the distributed data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received data includes a quantity and a price for each of a plurality of items to be purchased.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein distributing the received data includes determining a value of the purchasing contract based on the quantity and the price for each of the plurality of items to be purchased, and distributing the value of the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein distributing the received data includes determining a value of each of the plurality of items to be purchased based on the quantity and the price for each of the plurality of items to be purchased, and distributing the values of each of the plurality of items over the associated temporal period.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a purchase order based on the distributed data for each budgeting period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule is a budget rule.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein applying the at least one rule to the distributed data includes generating the rule based on a budget associated with the distributed data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein applying the at least one rule to the distributed data includes comparing a cost associated with the purchasing contract to an amount of available funding in the associated budget.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing one of an acceptance or a rejection of the distributed data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the acceptance or rejection of the distributed data includes providing a visual indication of the acceptance or rejection.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing an option to modify the distributed data after providing a rejection of the distributed data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data regarding the purchasing contract includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein data regarding the purchasing contract includes purchasing data for at least one of a service and a retail product.

17. A system for allocating a purchasing contract over a temporal period associated with the purchasing contract, the system comprising:

means for receiving data regarding the purchasing contract;

means for distributing the received data regarding the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period; and

means for applying at least one rule to the distributed data to determine whether the distribution of the data regarding the purchasing contract should be accepted or rejected.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the associated temporal period includes a plurality of budgeting periods.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein data regarding the purchasing contract is distributed equally among the plurality of budgeting periods.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein distributed data for each budgeting period is associated with a budget based on the distributed data.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the received data includes a quantity and a price for each of a plurality of items to be purchased.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein distributing the received data includes determining a value of the purchasing contract based on the quantity and the price for each of the plurality of items to be purchased, and distributing the value of the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein distributing the received data includes determining a value of each of the plurality of items to be purchased based on the quantity and the price for each of the plurality of items to be purchased, and distributing the values of each of the plurality of items over the associated temporal period.

24. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for generating a purchase order based on the distributed data for each budgeting period.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one rule is a budget rule.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein applying the at least one rule to the distributed data includes generating the rule based on a budget associated with the distributed data.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein applying the at least one rule to the distributed data includes comparing a cost associated with the purchasing contract to an amount of available funding in the associated budget.

28. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for providing one of an acceptance or a rejection of the distributed data.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein providing the acceptance or rejection of the distributed data includes providing a visual indication of the acceptance or rejection.

30. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for providing an option to modify the distributed data after providing a rejection of the distributed data.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein receiving data regarding the purchasing contract includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

32. The system of claim 17, wherein data regarding the purchasing contract includes purchasing data for at least one of a service and a retail product.

33. A program product for allocating a purchasing contract over a temporal period associated with the purchasing contract, the program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the following method steps:

receiving data regarding the purchasing contract;

distributing the received data regarding the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period; and

applying at least one rule to the distributed data to determine whether the distribution of the data regarding the purchasing contract should be accepted or rejected.

34. The program product of claim 33, wherein the associated temporal period includes a plurality of budgeting periods.

35. The program product of claim 34, wherein data regarding the purchasing contract is distributed equally among the plurality of budgeting periods.

36. The program product of claim 34, wherein distributed data for each budgeting period is associated with a budget based on the distributed data.

37. The program product of claim 33, wherein the received data includes a quantity and a price for each of a plurality of items to be purchased.

38. The program product of claim 37, wherein distributing the received data includes determining a value of the purchasing contract based on the quantity and the price for each of the plurality of items to be purchased, and distributing the value of the purchasing contract over the associated temporal period.

39. The program product of claim 37, wherein distributing the received data includes determining a value of each of the plurality of items to be purchased based on the quantity and the price for each of the plurality of items to be purchased, and distributing the values of each of the plurality of items over the associated temporal period.

40. The program product of claim 33, further comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the method step of generating a purchase order based on the distributed data for each budgeting period.

41. The program product of claim 33, wherein the at least one rule is a budget rule.

42. The program product of claim 41, wherein applying the at least one rule to the distributed data includes generating the rule based on a budget associated with the distributed data.

43. The program product of claim 42, wherein applying the at least one rule to the distributed data includes comparing a cost associated with the purchasing contract to an amount of available funding in the associated budget.

44. The program product of claim 33, further comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the method step of providing one of an acceptance or a rejection of the distributed data.

45. The program product of claim 44, wherein providing the acceptance or rejection of the distributed data includes providing a visual indication of the acceptance or rejection.

46. The program product of claim 44, further comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the method step of providing an option to modify the distributed data after providing a rejection of the distributed data.

47. The program product of claim 33, wherein receiving data regarding the purchasing contract includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

48. The program product of claim 33, wherein data regarding the purchasing contract includes purchasing data for at least one of a service and a retail product.