Product inventory management system

• US 20050256749A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eviivo Ltd.
• Original Assignee: eviivo Ltd.
• Inventors: Wells, Stephen, Crockett, Shane, Power, Clare
• Application Number:
  US10/507,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256749A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system to facilitate bookings including at least one business centre, each business centre having at least one product available for booking, wherein each business centre includes a first processing means for receiving and making bookings of at least one product from at least one agent or customer, and a central data centre including a second processing means for receiving and making bookings of at least one product from at least one agent or customer or at least one other agent or customer; wherein at one or more predetermined periods or actions one first and second processing means are synchronised so that booking information in the first and second processing means is the same.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate bookings including:

at least one business centre, each said at least one business centre having at least one product available for booking, wherein each said at least one business centre includes a first processing means for receiving and making bookings of said at least one product from at least one agent or customer; and

a central data centre including a second processing means for receiving and making bookings of said at least one product from said at least one agent or customer or at least one other agent of customer;

wherein at one or more predetermined periods of actions said first and second processing means are synchronized so that booking information in said first and second processing means is the same.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein synchronisation occurs after each booking.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein an operator can initiate synchronisation.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said business centre offers accommodation.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said product included rooms available at said business centre.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said business centre is a tour operator.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said product includes tours available from said tour operator.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said synchronization includes:

first and second processing means identifying any values that have changed since a previous synchronization; and

said first processing means forwarding any said changed values to said second processing means, and said second processing means forwarding any said changed values to said first processing means.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1 further including a dispute resolution system to alert a user to possible double bookings.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second processing means both include a common user interface.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein modifications to booking conditions are made to said second processing means and then synchronized to said first processing means.

12. A business centre booking system including:

a first processing means to receive and make bookings of at least one product available from said business centre;

a communication means to receive bookings made via an external server of said at least one product;

wherein at a predetermined time said first processing means synchronises data with said external server via said communication means.

13. A synchronized booking system including:

a second processing means for receiving and making bookings of at least one product available from at least one business centre;

a communication means to enable said bookings to be synchronised with a first processing means of said at least one business centre.

14. A system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.