BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20130191464A1
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burckart, Erik J., Ivory, Andrew, Schumacher, John F., Shook, Aaron K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a social network. The methods involve: creating a relationship between a first entity and a second entity; setting authorization which indicates that a user of said first entity is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity; receiving a request to view first inventory data of said first entity and second inventory data of said second entity by said user; and determining whether said user is authorized to view said second inventory data. If said user is authorized: querying a first remote inventory management system of said first entity for said first inventory data and a second remote inventory management system of said second entity for said second inventory data; receiving said first and second inventory data; generating an aggregate view comprising said first and second inventory data; and providing content of said aggregate view to a client computing device of said first entity.

Claims

1. A method for providing a Business-to-Business (“

B2B”

) social network, comprising;

creating, by at least one electronic circuit, a business relationship between a first entity and at least one second entity in the B2B social network;

setting, by said electronic circuit, at least one parameter which indicates that at least one user of said first entity is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity;

receiving, by said electronic circuit, a first request by said user of said first entity to view first inventory data of said first entity and second inventory data of said second entity;

determining, by the electronic circuit, whether said user is authorized to view said second inventory data based on said parameter;

if it is determined that said user is authorized to view said second inventory data, then performing the following operations by said electronic circuit;

querying a first remote inventory management system of said first entity for said first inventory data and a second remote inventory management system of said second entity for said second inventory data;

receiving said first inventory data and said second inventory data;

generating an aggregate view comprising said first and second inventory data; and

providing content of said aggregate view to a client computing device of said first entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first inventory management system and said second inventory management system employ different protocols.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a query for said first inventory data or said second inventory data is converted from a first protocol format to a second different protocol format during said querying step.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said parameter further indicates that said user is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity associated with inventory residing in a facility within at least one geographic location or geographic region.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said parameter further indicates that said user is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity associated with products of at least one product category.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said aggregate view is further generated using historical transaction information for said first entity or said second entity which was generated by a respective one of said first remote inventory management system or said second remote inventory management system.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the electronic circuit, at least one set of inventory data of at least two different entities that should be suggested to a user of said client computing device for purposes of creating said aggregate view; and

providing information identifying said set of inventory data to said client computing device.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the electronic circuit, a first transaction message comprising inventory-related transaction data that was obtained from a second transaction message generated by said first or second remote inventory management system; and

storing said inventory-related transaction data in a data store as historical transaction data that may be used in a subsequent aggregate view creation process.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the electronic circuit, a second request from said client computing device for modifying said aggregate view based on at least one user-specified adjustment parameter;

generating, by the electronic circuit, an adjusted aggregate view based on said user-specified adjustment parameter; and

providing content of said adjusted aggregate view to said client computing device.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating analytical data in response to a reception of a second request for generating analytical data based on at least one of user-specified inventory data or user-specified historical transaction data.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising denying said first request if it is determined that said user is not authorized to view said second inventory data.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing an aggregate view creation process without said second inventory data if it is determined that said user is not authorized to view said second inventory data.

13. A system, comprising:

at least one electronic circuit configured to;

create a business relationship between a first entity and at least one second entity in a social network;

set at least one parameter which indicates that at least one user of said first entity is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity;

receive a first request by said user of said first entity to view first inventory data of said first entity and second inventory data of said second entity;

determine whether said user is authorized to view said second inventory data based on said parameter;

perform the following operations if it is determined that said user is authorized to view said second inventory data;

querying a first remote inventory management system of said first entity for said first inventory data and a second remote inventory management system of said second entity for said second inventory data;

receiving said first inventory data and said second inventory data;

generating an aggregate view comprising said first and second inventory data; and

providing content of said aggregate view to a client computing device of said first entity.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said first inventory management system and said second inventory management system employ different protocols.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein a query for said first inventory data or said second inventory data is converted from a first protocol format to a second different protocol format during said querying operations.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein said parameter further indicates that said user is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity associated with inventory residing in a facility within at least one geographic location or geographic region.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein said parameter further indicates that said user is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity associated with products of at least one product category.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein said aggregate view is further generated using historical transaction information for said first entity or said second entity which was generated by a respective one of said first remote inventory management system or said second remote inventory management system.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to:

determine at least one set of inventory data of at least two different entities that should be suggested to a user of said client computing device for purposes of creating said aggregate view; and

provide information identifying said set of inventory data to said client computing device.

20. The system according to claim 13, wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to:

receive a first transaction message comprising inventory-related transaction data that was obtained from a second transaction message generated by said first or second remote inventory management system; and

store said inventory-related transaction data in a data store as historical transaction data that may be used in a subsequent aggregate view creation process.

21. The system according to claim 13, wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to:

receive a second request from said client computing device for modifying said aggregate view based on at least one user-specified adjustment parameter;

generate an adjusted aggregate view based on said user-specified adjustment parameter; and

provide content of said adjusted aggregate view to said client computing device.

22. The system according to claim 13, wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to generate analytical data in response to a reception of a second request for generating analytical data based on at least one of user-specified inventory data or user-specified historical transaction data.

23. The system according to claim 13, wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to deny said first request if it is determined that said user is not authorized to view said second inventory data.

24. The system according to claim 13, wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to perform an aggregate view creation process without said second inventory data if it is determined that said user is not authorized to view said second inventory data.

25. A device comprising a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program for managing a social network, the computer program having a plurality of code sections, the code sections executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform the steps of:

creating a business relationship between a first entity and at least one second entity in the B2B social network;

setting at least one parameter which indicates that at least one user of said first entity is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity;

receiving a first request by said user of said first entity to view first inventory data of said first entity and second inventory data of said second entity;

determining whether said user is authorized to view said second inventory data based on said parameter;

performing the following operations if it is determined that said user is authorized to view said second inventory data;

querying a first remote inventory management system of said first entity for said first inventory data and a second remote inventory management system of said second entity for said second inventory data;

receiving said first inventory data and said second inventory data;

generating an aggregate view comprising said first and second inventory data; and

providing content of said aggregate view to a client computing device of said first entity.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein said first inventory management system and said second inventory management system employ different protocols.

27. The device according to claim 25, wherein a query for said first inventory data or said second inventory data is converted from a first protocol format to a second different protocol format during said querying step.

28. The device according to claim 25, wherein said parameter further indicates that said user is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity associated with inventory residing in a facility within at least one geographic location or geographic region.

29. The device according to claim 25, wherein said parameter further indicates that said user is authorized to view inventory data of said second entity associated with products of at least one product category.

30. The device according to claim 25, wherein said aggregate view is further generated using historical transaction information for said first entity or said second entity which was generated by a respective one of said first remote inventory management system or said second remote inventory management system.

31. The device according to claim 25, wherein said computing device is further caused to:

determine at least one set of inventory data of at least two different entities that should be suggested to a user of said client computing device for purposes of creating said aggregate view; and

provide information identifying said set of inventory data to said client computing device.

32. The device according to claim 25, wherein said computing device is further caused to:

receive a first transaction message comprising inventory-related transaction data that was obtained from a second transaction message generated by said first or second remote inventory management system; and

store said inventory-related transaction data in a data store as historical transaction data that may be used in a subsequent aggregate view creation process.

33. The device according to claim 25, wherein said computing device is further caused to:

receive a second request from said client computing device for modifying said aggregate view based on at least one user-specified adjustment parameter;

generate an adjusted aggregate view based on said user-specified adjustment parameter; and

provide content of said adjusted aggregate view to said client computing device.

34. The device according to claim 25, wherein said computing device is further caused to generate analytical data in response to a reception of a second request for generating analytical data based on at least one of user-specified inventory data or user-specified historical transaction data.

35. The device according to claim 25, wherein said computing device is further caused to deny said first request if it is determined that said user is not authorized to view said second inventory data.

36. The device according to claim 25, wherein said computing device is further caused to perform an aggregate view creation process without said second inventory data if it is determined that said user is not authorized to view said second inventory data.

37. A method for interfacing an inventory management system to a social network, comprising:

receiving, by at least one electronic circuit, a first message from a first computing device of a first entity;

processing said first message to determine if it is an inventory-related message;

if said first message is an inventory-related message,

extracting pre-defined inventory-related data from said first message,

generating a second message comprising said extracted inventory-related data,

sending said first message to a second computing device of a second entity,

sending said second message to a third computing device of a social network service provider; and

if said message is not an inventory-related message, sending said first message to a second computing device of a second entity.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein said pre-defined inventory-related data comprises at least one of an available quantity, a purchased quantity, and a total quantity.