System for Selectively Supplying Inventory to a Customer

• US 20110055052A1
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Issler, James E., Wu, Zhi, Iandiorio, Carmine
• Application Number:
  US12/871,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055052A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for selectively providing inventory to an online retailer including an inventory database, a customer database, a computer in communication with the inventory database and customer database, software executing on the computer for retrieving inventory data from the inventory database, software executing on the computer for generating a product list containing one or more products to be made available for purchase by the customer, and software executing on the computer. for transmitting the product list to the customer. The software for generating the product list includes a graphical user interface, and the product list is generated based on the selection of products by a user via the graphical interface.

Claims

1. A system for selectively supplying inventory to a customer, comprising:

an inventory database containing inventory data related to a plurality of products;

a customer database containing customer data related to a plurality of customers;

a computer in communication with said inventory database and said customer database;

software executing on said computer for selecting a customer from said plurality of customers;

software executing on said computer for retrieving inventory data from said inventory database;

software executing on said computer for generating a product list containing one or more products from said plurality of products to be made available for purchase by the selected customer, said software comprising a graphical user interface; and

software executing on said computer for transmitting said product list to the customer;

wherein said software for generating the product list generates said list based on the selection of products by a user via the graphical interface.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising software executing on said computer for continuously analyzing and updating inventory data stored in said inventory database.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising software executing on said computer for retrieving customer data from said customer database.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a webpage for displaying said one or more products available for purchase by said customer.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising software executing on said computer for creating an EDI file containing said product list.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said inventory database contains at least one product identifier for each of the plurality of products.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said at least one product identifier is selected from a group consisting of:

style, color, width, and combinations thereof.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein said product list contains said at least one product identifier for each of the products.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software for generating the product list and said graphical user interface are accessed by the user over the Internet.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said inventory data comprises a list of products available for purchase by said plurality of customers.

11. A method for selectively supplying an inventory to a customer, comprising the steps of:

maintaining a customer database containing customer data related to a plurality of customers;

maintaining an inventory database containing inventory data related to a plurality of products;

selecting a customer from said plurality of customers;

retrieving inventory data from said inventory database;

generating a product list containing one or more products from said plurality of products to be made available for purchase by the selected customer based on a selection of products by a user; and

transmitting said list of products to the customer.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of retrieving customer data from said customer database.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of continuously updating said inventory database as products enter and leave inventory.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying said product list containing one or more products available for purchase by the customer on a webpage accessible by said customer.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of creating an EDI file containing said product list.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of retrieving at least one product identifier from said inventory database, said at least one product identifier selected from a group consisting of:

style, color, width, and combinations thereof.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of including said at least one product identifier in said product list.