SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING AND MAINTAINING VENDOR QUALIFICATION

• US 20090157524A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IQNavigator Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Volt Information Sciences Incorporated
• Inventors: Cullen, Andrew A. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,515,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A computer system and method is disclosed for pre-qualifying vendors for buyers and/or industries using vendor criteria information associated with buyers and/or industries and vendor qualification information associated with vendors. Vendors and buyers enter the vendor qualification information and vendor criteria information, respectively, into a database in a hierarchical and relational manner. The computer system compares entered vendor qualification information to stored vendor criteria information to pre-qualify vendors for buyers and/or industries. The computer system further monitors the stored vendor qualification information and requests updated vendor qualification information from the vendors to maintain vendor qualification on a per industry and/or per buyer basis.

Claims

1. A computer system for qualifying a vendor for a qualifier, comprising:

a web server configured to receive vendor qualification information associated with the vendor via a data network;

a database configured to store said vendor qualification information and vendor criteria information associated with the qualifier; and

a qualification tool configured to compare said vendor qualification information to said vendor criteria information to qualify the vendor for the qualifier.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said database is further capable of storing additional vendor qualification information associated with an additional vendor and additional vendor criteria information associated with an additional qualifier.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said qualifier is a buyer and said web server is associated with the buyer, said vendor criteria information being buyer-defined vendor criteria information established by the buyer.

4. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a vendor browser associated with the vendor, said vendor browser having a data connection with said web server to enable the vendor to enter said vendor qualification information into said database.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said web server is further capable of selectively providing an e-mail notification message to said vendor browser indicating whether the vendor is qualified for the qualifier.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said web server is further capable of pushing one or more web pages at a time to said vendor browser, said one or more web pages including vendor selection data for use by the vendor in entering said vendor qualification information.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein said web server uses said vendor qualification information entered in response to said one or more web pages to determine one or more additional web pages to be pushed to said vendor browser.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said database is further configured to store vendor fields containing said vendor selection data.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

a vendor module configured to populate said one or more web pages with said vendor selection data from said vendor fields and store said vendor qualification information entered by the vendor within said database.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein said database is further configured to store said vendor qualification information entered by the vendor in a vendor record.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein said vendor fields are arranged in a hierarchical and relational structure and said vendor qualification information stored in said database is arranged in a hierarchical and relational structure mirroring select ones of said vendor fields.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said vendor fields are in a table-driven format that is configurable and scalable based upon the vendor and the computer system.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein said vendor qualification information includes vendor profiling information to categorize the types of goods and services the vendor provides, said vendor fields including vendor profiling fields to solicit said vendor profiling information from the vendor.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said vendor profiling fields are organized into hierarchical tables, each of said hierarchical tables including vendor selection data having one or more vendor profiling selections, said one or more web pages pushed to said vendor browser including said one or more vendor profiling selections of a first one of said hierarchical tables and said one or more additional web pages pushed to said vendor browser including said one or more vendor profiling selections of a second one of said hierarchical tables.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein said vendor profiling information entered by the vendor in response to said one or more web pages includes a select one of said vendor profiling selections, said second hierarchical table being selected by said vendor module based upon said select vendor profiling selection entered by the vendor.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the qualifier is a buyer, and further comprising:

a buyer browser associated with the buyer, said buyer browser having a data connection with said web server to enter said vendor criteria information associated with the buyer into said database.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein said web server is further capable of pushing one or more web pages at a time to said buyer browser, said one or more web pages including buyer selection data for use by the buyer in entering said vendor criteria information.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein said web server uses said vendor criteria information entered in response to said one or more web pages to determine one or more additional web pages to be pushed to said buyer browser.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said database is further configured to store buyer fields containing said buyer selection data.

20. The computer system of claim 19, further comprising:

a buyer module configured to populate said one or more web pages with said buyer selection data from said buyer fields and store said vendor criteria information entered by the buyer within said database.