METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING REQUISITIONS

• US 20100138310A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dattathreya, Macam S., Coleman, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,129,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A method and system for making a requisition for one or more items including providing a requisition module written as a service, using the requisition module to place one or more orders for one or more items, and monitoring the status of the one or more orders or the one or more items. When one or more orders is placed by a user of the module, an instant message or an email is provided to the user, wherein the instant message or email specifies the status of the one or more orders to the user.

Claims

1. A method for making a requisition for one or more items comprising:

providing a first computer configured to input requisition data, wherein the requisition data comprises one or more orders for one or more items;

inputting the requisition data on the first computer;

sending the requisition data to a second computer, the second computer having a requisition module embodied therein to invoke a requisition based on the requisition data;

invoking the requisition using the requisition data comprising the one or more orders for one or more items; and

monitoring the one or more orders or the one or more items.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more orders is placed by a user of the first computer, the method further comprising:

providing one or more instant message or emails to the user wherein the one or more instant messages or emails specifies the status of the one or more orders to the user.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

providing the status of each of the one or more items in the one or more orders.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the status of the one or more orders or of the one or more items comprises a position of the one or more orders or of the one or more items, wherein the position comprises a first point at placing of the one or more orders, a second point at receipt of the one or more orders or of the one or more items, or one or more points between the first point and the second point, wherein the one or more in between points comprises a location of the one or more orders or one or more items.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing the user with an option to specify at which position or positions of the one or more orders or of the one or more items the user will receive the one or more instant messages or emails.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the one or more email messages is sent to a user is not logged in to an instant messaging facility.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the user specifies the number of attempts to send the one or more instant messages before the one or more emails is sent.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the position comprises ordered, back ordered, at supplier preparation, in billing, in warehouse, in shipping, or out for delivery.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the requisition module uses simple object access protocol (SOAP) to provide a web service.

10. A system for making a requisition for one or more items comprising:

a first computer configured to input requisition data, wherein the requisition data comprises one or more orders for one or more items;

a second computer comprising

a requisition module to invoke a requisition based on the requisition data, wherein the requisition module is written as a service; and

an instant messaging/email module linked to the requisition module;

wherein the requisition module creates a requisition; and

wherein a requisition is created by placing one or more orders for one or more items; and

wherein the instant messaging/email module provides the status of the requisition.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second computer further comprises a procurement application, an application database and a configuration database, wherein the configuration database creates a configuration table comprising a user'"'"'s specifications for receiving a status of a requisition.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the user'"'"'s specifications comprise status codes for needed status notifications, instant messaging address, email address, number of times to attempt instant messaging, request to send email upon instant message error, request to send URL to view status or the most recent status notification sent.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the status codes represent ordered, back ordered, at supplier preparation, in billing, in warehouse, in shipping, or out for delivery.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the requisition module uses simple object access protocol (SOAP) to provide a web service.

15. A computer program product encoded in a non-transitory computer readable medium for instructing a system to make a requisition for one or more items, the program code configured to cause the computer to perform the method comprising:

inputting requisition data on a first computer;

sending the requisition data to a second computer, wherein the second computer comprises a requisition module written as a service;

using the requisition module to place one or more orders for one or more items; and

monitoring the status of the one or more orders or the one or more items.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the one or more orders is placed by a user of the first computer, the program code further configured to:

provide one or more an instant messages or an emails to the user wherein the one or more instant messages or emails specifies the status of the one or more orders to the user or of the one or more items in the one or more orders.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the status of the one or more orders or of the one or more items comprises a position of the one or more orders or of the one or more items, wherein the position comprises a first point at placing of the one or more orders, a second point at receipt of the one or more orders or of the one or more items or one or more points between the first point and the second point, wherein the one or more in-between points comprises a location of the one or more orders or one or more items.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the program code is further configured to provide the user with an option to specify at which position or positions of the one or more orders or of the one or more items the user will receive the one or more instant messages or emails.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the position or positions comprise(s) ordered, back ordered, at supplier preparation, in billing, in warehouse, in shipping, or out for delivery.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the program code is further configured to send an email message to a user not logged in to an instant messaging facility.