Centralized Database Supported Electronic Catalog and Order System for Merchandise Distribution

• US 20120185357A1
• Filed: 02/28/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dan Zhu
• Original Assignee: Dan Zhu
• Inventors: Zhu, Dan
• Application Number:
  US13/407,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185357A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

A system that permits a retailer to have an in-store computer terminal that is connected to the Internet and configured to access a set of pages on a supplier'"'"'s server. The accessible pages show a set of merchandise items selected by the retailer and tagged with prices set by the retailer. The terminal is either made available for direct ordering by a retail customer, or ordering by store personnel at the request of a retail customer. Changes in wholesale price or models offered may cause an automatic updating of the display pages, to avoid suboptimal pricing, inaccurate display and orders of unavailable items.

Claims

1. An electronic catalog system comprising:

(a) a first dataset having a set of product listings, each including product information and a wholesale price of said product;

(b) a second dataset listing for each one of a set electronic catalogs, a subset of said set of product listings being offered for sale, each electronic catalog being associated with a separate store, said second dataset also listing a retail price for each listing of a product in each subset; and

(c) wherein any one of a set of changes in said first dataset causes an automatic change in said second dataset.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a change to the wholesale price for one of said products automatically causes a change in a said retail price corresponding to a said listing of said product in a said subset.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein a change to the wholesale price for one of said products automatically causes a change in a plurality of said retail prices corresponding to listings of said products in a plurality of said subsets.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein at least some of said retail prices listed in said second dataset are based on a general pricing rule that is based on said wholesale price.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said wholesale dataset also lists a manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price for each item.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein at least some of said retail prices are based on a general pricing rule based on said manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein a change in said manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price for a product automatically results in changes to said retail prices that are based on a general pricing rule based on said manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price.