Inventory group purchasing systems and methods

• US 20060041329A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Unisone Corporation (Michael T. Lucas)
• Original Assignee: Unisone Corporation (Michael T. Lucas)
• Inventors: Lucas, Michael T.
• Application Number:
  US11/258,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041329A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

A system and method which allows third-parties to monitor company inventory via the Internet and World Wide Web (“web”) and automatically order needed items. The present invention also provides a forum through which resellers and customers may directly interact to resell surplus and used equipment. The present invention may also allow a third party to act as a broker, thereby assuring that both the equipment purchased is actually delivered, and that the seller is properly compensated.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A vendor managed inventory and group purchasing system, comprising:

one or more servers;

one or more databases running on said servers;

client software running on one or more computers at a customer site, which is capable of monitoring customer inventories and reporting such information to said server via a redundant data communications connection;

client software running on one or more computers at a supplier site, which is capable of monitoring product quantities on hand and supports multiple product prices depending on order quantities, and which is capable of transmitting such information to said server via a redundant data communications connection; and

software running on said server that consolidates customer orders such that customer costs may be decreased by leveraging the consolidated order quantities.