System and Method for Allocating Manufactured Products to Sellers Using Profitable Order Promising

• US 20130124252A1
• Filed: 01/07/2013
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: JDA Software Group Incorporated (RedPrairie Holding Incorporated)
• Inventors: Murugan, Arvindh
• Granted Patent: US 9,916,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for allocating products to one or more sellers. The system includes a database operable to store data associated with one or more enterprises. The system further includes an order promising system coupled with the database and operable to model the flow of the products through the one or more enterprises and allocate resources to the one or more sellers based on the modeled flow of the products.

Claims

1. A system for allocating products to one or more sellers, comprising:

a database configured to store data associated with one or more enterprises;

an order promising system tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium, the order promising system coupled with the database and configured to;

model the flow of the products through the one or more enterprises;

allocate resources to the one or more sellers based on the modeled flow of the products;

receive a customer demand associated with the one or more sellers;

determine a priority of the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand and perform the following when the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand is determined to not be at a prioritization to consume the allocations;

release the allocations to the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand when a desired system profit is based on an offer by the one or more sellers;

hold the allocations as un-promised allocations when a desired system profit is zero; and

borrow the allocations from a seller with a lower price for the allocations and promise the allocations to the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand at a premium when a desired system profit is based on the premium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the order promising system is further configured to provide a seller hierarchy model for representing the one or more sellers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the order promising system is further configured to store the seller hierarchy model in the database.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the seller hierarchy model represents a different hierarchy of sellers for each of the products.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more enterprises provide allocations to any level of the seller hierarchy model.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the order promising system is further configured to categorize the seller hierarchy model into one or more seller tiers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the order promising system is further configured to prioritize the one or more sellers and wherein a seller with a higher prioritization may receive allocations from the one or more enterprises prior to a seller with a lower prioritization.

8. A method for allocating products to one or more sellers, comprising:

modeling, by a computer, the flow of the products through one or more enterprises;

allocating, by the computer, resources to the one or more sellers based on the modeled flow of the products;

receiving, by the computer, a customer demand associated with the one or more sellers;

determining, by the computer, a priority of the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand and performing the following when the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand is determined to not be at a prioritization to consume allocations;

releasing the allocations to the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand when a desired system profit is based on an offer by the one or more sellers;

holding the allocations as un-promised allocations when a desired system profit is zero; and

borrowing the allocations from a seller with a lower price for the allocations and promise the allocations to the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand at a premium when a desired system profit is based on the premium.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a seller hierarchy model for representing the one or more sellers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the seller hierarchy model in a database.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the seller hierarchy model represents a different hierarchy of sellers for each of the products.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing allocations to any level of the seller hierarchy model.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

categorizing the seller hierarchy model into one or more seller tiers.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prioritizing the one or more sellers and wherein a seller with a higher prioritization may receive allocations from the one or more enterprises prior to a seller with a lower prioritization.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with software for allocating products to one or more sellers, the software when executed using one or more computers is configured to:

model the flow of the products through one or more enterprises; and

allocate resources to the one or more sellers based on the modeled flow of the products;

receive a customer demand associated with the one or more sellers;

determine a priority of the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand and perform the following when the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand is determined to not be at a prioritization to consume allocations;

release the allocations to the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand when a desired system profit is based on an offer by the one or more sellers;

hold the allocations as un-promised allocations when a desired system profit is zero; and

borrow the allocations from a seller with a lower price for the allocations and promise the allocations to the one or more sellers associated with the received customer demand at a premium when a desired system profit is based on the premium.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the software is further configured to:

provide a seller hierarchy model for representing the one or more sellers.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the software is further configured to:

store the seller hierarchy model in a database.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the seller hierarchy model represents a different hierarchy of sellers for each of the products.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the software is further configured to:

provide allocations to any level of the seller hierarchy model.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the software is further configured to:

categorize the seller hierarchy model into one or more seller tiers.