Webstore supporting multiple merchants

• US 20070112647A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUNE RAY LIMITED
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhargava, Sunil, Wijaya, Joyo, Lloyd, Margaret, Mayya, Ajit, Ham, Peter, Clossman, Gray, Relan, Arvind, Borders, Louis
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A technique for effecting electronic commerce using a data network is described. The data network includes a plurality of subsystems which, together, form an integrated system for receiving customer orders for selected items via a data network, fulfilling the customer orders, and delivering the ordered products to the customers. Moreover, according to a specific embodiment, the integrated nature of the system architecture of the present invention allows the on-line merchant to provide a guarantee to the customer that the ordered items will be available to be delivered to the customer at the specified delivery date, time, and location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for assisting, via a computer network, a customer to order a product and a merchant to provide information regarding a product, the computer network including a customer interface system, an accounting and billing system, and a publishing system, the method comprising:

allowing a customer to access and electronically search for information regarding a plurality of products via the customer interface system;

receiving a customer order from the customer via the customer interface system, the customer order for ordering a product from the plurality of products; and

generating accounting and billing data related to the customer order via the accounting and billing system to allow the order to be processed and the customer to be billed for the product,

wherein the method further comprises allowing at least two merchants, each to enter product information regarding at least one of its products via the publishing system, the product information including pricing and availability information of the at least one of its products,

wherein the customer is allowed to access information regarding the products from the at least two merchants as well as information regarding other products via the customer interface system to order products, and

wherein the at least two merchants are from two separate entities.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein each of the at least two merchants is allowed to update product information regarding the at least one of its products via the publishing system, and

wherein the method further comprises polling the publishing system periodically to collect updated product information from merchants for customers to access via the customer interface system.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein information regarding the plurality of products is in a catalog.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the customer interface system is part of a webstore.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least two merchants have no control over the accounting and billing system and the publishing system.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the at least two merchants is allowed to introduce its own on-line storefront for customers to access the at least one of its products.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the computer network further includes an order fulfillment system and a delivery system, and

wherein the method further comprises fulfilling the customer order via the order fulfillment system so that the product is ready to be delivered to the customer, and managing the delivery of the product via the delivery system so that the product is delivered to the customer.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises managing a distribution center via the order fulfillment system to fulfill the order.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8,

wherein information regarding the order is automatically transmitted to the order fulfillment system to control an operation in the distribution center, and

wherein the operation is related to material handling to fulfill the order.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein information regarding the order is automatically transmitted to the delivery system to manage the schedule of a delivery vehicle to deliver the product to the customer.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the order includes a delivery address to deliver the product,

wherein there are at least two business units responsible for product delivery, and

wherein the method further comprises automatically routing the order to one of the at least two business units to deliver the product based on the delivery address in the order.

12. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises integrating product information regarding the products from the at least two merchants with information regarding other products to generate a catalog of products that can be accessed via the customer interface system by the customer.

13. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer network further includes a help desk system to handle customer complaints.

14. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein there are two different customer interfaces using the computer network,

wherein each customer interface allows customers to access information regarding a plurality of products, and

wherein information regarding at least one product is available to be accessed by customers from one interface, but not from the other interface.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein there are two different customer interfaces using the computer network,

wherein each customer interface allows customers to access information regarding a plurality of products, and

wherein the price of a product when accessed by customers from one customer interface is different from the price of the product when accessed by customers from the other customer interface.

16. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein the two interfaces are for two geographical locations.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15,

wherein the computer network further includes a help desk system to handle customer complaints,

wherein each customer interface allows customers to enter complaints, and

wherein customer complaints received from the two interfaces are handled by the same help desk system.

18. A computer-implemented method for assisting, via a computer network, a customer to order a product and a merchant to provide information regarding a product, the computer network including a customer interface system, an accounting and billing system, and a publishing system, the method comprising:

allowing a customer to access and electronically search for information regarding a plurality of products via the customer interface system;

receiving a customer order from the customer via the customer interface system, the customer order for ordering a product from the plurality of products; and

generating accounting and billing data related to the customer order via the accounting and billing system to allow the order to be processed and the customer to be billed for the product,

wherein the method further comprises allowing at least two merchants, each to enter product information regarding at least one of its products via the publishing system, the product information including pricing and availability information of the at least one of its products,

wherein the customer is allowed to access information regarding the products from the at least two merchants as well as information regarding other products via the customer interface system to order products,

wherein the at least two merchants are from two separate entities,

wherein the customer interface system is part of a webstore, and

wherein each of the two merchants is allowed to introduce its on-line storefront for customers to access the at least one of its products.

19. A computer-implemented method for assisting, via a computer network, a customer to order a product and a merchant to provide information regarding a product, the computer network including a customer interface system, an accounting and billing system, an order fulfillment system, a delivery system, and a publishing system, the method comprising:

allowing a customer to access and electronically search for information regarding a plurality of products via the customer interface system;

receiving a customer order from the customer via the customer interface system, the customer order for ordering a product from the plurality of products;

fulfilling the customer order via the order fulfillment system so that the product is ready to be delivered to the customer;

managing the delivery of the product via the delivery system so that the product is delivered to the customer; and

generating accounting and billing data related to the customer order via the accounting and billing system to allow the order to be processed and the customer to be billed for the product,

wherein the method further comprises allowing at least two merchants, each to enter product information regarding at least one of its products via the publishing system, the product information including pricing and availability information of the at least one of its products,

wherein the customer is allowed to access information regarding the products from the at least two merchants as well as information regarding other products via the customer interface system to order products, and

wherein the at least two merchants are from two separate entities.