OPENLY ACCESSIBLE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A computer implemented inventory manager, comprising:
- an inventory registry containing information indicative of a pooled inventory of an item wherein the pooled inventory includes inventory of the item from two or more suppliers, wherein the registry is openly accessible to first and second suppliers of the item and to consumers of the item;
a viewing module operable to access the inventory registry and produce information indicative of the pooled inventory; and
a transaction module enabling a remote user to execute an inventory transaction to alter the pooled inventory indicated in the inventory registry.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system enabling users to view and initiate action to alter the geographic distribution of the pooled inventory of an item includes an inventory registry, a transaction module, and a viewing module. The inventory registry includes information indicative of a pooled inventory of an item including inventory from two or more suppliers of the item. In some embodiments, the registry is openly accessible to multiple suppliers and multiple consumers of the item. The transaction module enables a remote user to execute an inventory transaction to alter the pooled inventory distribution indicated in the inventory registry. The viewing module accesses the inventory registry and produces information enabling a user to visualize the inventory distribution. The inventory management system may interface with value added service including as examples, an auction/bidding module, a price negotiation module, and a cost estimation module.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A computer implemented inventory manager, comprising:
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an inventory registry containing information indicative of a pooled inventory of an item wherein the pooled inventory includes inventory of the item from two or more suppliers, wherein the registry is openly accessible to first and second suppliers of the item and to consumers of the item; a viewing module operable to access the inventory registry and produce information indicative of the pooled inventory; and a transaction module enabling a remote user to execute an inventory transaction to alter the pooled inventory indicated in the inventory registry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer program product comprising instructions, stored on a computer readable medium, the instructions comprising:
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instructions enabling multiple suppliers and multiple consumers of an item to access an inventory registry containing information indicative of a pooled inventory of the item, wherein the pooled inventory includes inventory of the item from two or more suppliers and wherein the inventory registry is indicative of a geographic distribution of the pooled inventory; viewing module instructions to provide information enabling a user to visualize the geographic distribution of the pooled inventory; transaction module instructions to enable the user to define and execute an inventory transaction altering the geographic distribution of the pooled inventory. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A inventory management method, comprising:
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provisioning a database structure accessible to multiple suppliers and multiple consumers of an item and indicative of a pooled inventory of the item, wherein the pooled inventory reflects inventory from multiple suppliers of the item and wherein the pooled inventory conveys a geographic distribution of the pooled inventory; provisioning the system with a viewing module operable to interact with a user client to enable the user to visualize the geographic distribution of the pooled inventory; and provisioning the system with a transaction module operable to being invoked by the user and further operable to enable the user to define and execute an inventory transacation that alters the geographic distribution of the pooled inventory by moving a portion of the pooled inventory to a first geopgrahic location from a second geographic location, wherein the transacation module is operable to modify the pooled inventory to reflect the alteration. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification