Computerized quotation system and method

• US 5,758,328 A
• Filed: 02/22/1996
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Source Search Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Joseph Giovannoli
• Inventors: Giovannoli, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GROUTT, PHILLIP J
• Application Number:
  US08/603,906
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 395/201, 395/226, 395/227, 395/237, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.4
• 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 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A computerized system for forming a computer based communications network of network members inclusive of network buyers and or network vendors for processing requests for quotation for goods and services through at least one central processing unit including operating system software for controlling the central processing unit, storage means containing the identification of network members, means for network buyers to generate request for quotation for goods and/or services, means for transmitting said request for quotation to said central processing unit, filter means for selecting appropriate network members to receive said request for quotation based on filter conditions defined by the buyer in said request for quotation and/or by the vendor and/or by the central processing unit, means for broadcasting said request for quotation to the network members selected by said filter means and means for responding to the generator of said request for quotation with either a response to said request for quotation or with a list of said selected network members. Filter conditions may define the class of vendors in terms of geographical location, quantity, language spoken, currency, special conditions of sale, and the like.

Claims

1. A computerized system for forming a computer based communications network of network members inclusive of network buyers and or network vendors for processing requests for quotation for goods and services through at least one central processing unit including operating system software for controlling the central processing unit, said network members being remotely located from said central processing unit and connected thereto via a communications channel storage means containing identification of the network members, means for network buyers to generate request for quotation for goods and/or services, means for transmitting said request for quotation to said central processing unit, filter means for filtering the network members in said storage means to determine which network members are to receive said request for quotation based upon filter conditions set up by the network buyer in said request for quotation or by the central processing unit in accordance with preestablished conditions, means for broadcasting said request for quotation to the network members selected by said filter means and means for responding to the generator of said request with either a response from the selected network members or with a list of said selected network members for said generator of said request to establish independent communication.

2. A computerized system as defined in claim 1 wherein said network members communicate via the Internet through said central processing unit.

3. A method for processing requests for quotation for goods and/or services from a party representing a buyer or supplier of goods and/or services through a computerized system forming a computer based communications network of network members for linking buyers to suppliers with the computerized system having at least one central processing unit including operating system software for controlling the central processing unit and storage means containing the identification of the network members, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

receiving a buyer'"'"'s request for quotation over a communication network;

selecting one or more appropriate vendors to be sent the buyer'"'"'s request for quotation based upon filter conditions, set by the buyer, vendor and the network software;

transmitting the buyer'"'"'s request for quotation separately to said selected vendors over said communications network; and

with said selected vendors communicating their quotations either directly to the buyer or to the computerized system which in turn transmits said received quotations to the requesting buyer.

4. A computerized system for engaging in transactions over a data network, said computerized system comprising:

a plurality of terminals, at least one of which being designated a requestor and others of which are designated vendor terminals;

filter and broadcast means for receiving, over said data network, requests from said requestor to engage in transactions with unspecified vendor terminals, and for filtering said requests to determine with which vendor terminals said requests should be matched; and

means for matching said requests with vendor terminals which meet predetermined filter conditions for generating quotes from information contained in a database associated with said vendor terminals, and for accepting said quotes from said vendor terminals, wherein the central database contains information that is insufficient to consummate the transaction.

5. The computerized system of claim 4 further comprising means for communicating responses from said vendor terminals to said filter and broadcast means;

and

means at said filter and broadcast means for communicating a selected set of said responses to said requestor.

6. The computerized system of claim 5 wherein said transaction is a purchase, and wherein the purchase may comprise a plurality of items.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

means for establishing communications between said filter and broadcast means and said vendor terminals which meet said filter conditions; and

means for determining whether a quote for said transaction from a particular vendor terminal meeting said filter conditions should be sent to said requestor.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said communications is continuous.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said communications is periodic.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said communications is initiated by said vendor terminal.

11. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein further comprising means for automatically notifying a buyer when particular items meeting specified conditions become available from a seller.

12. A method of purchasing goods or services over a data network comprising the steps of:

communicating, over said data network, to a filter means, at least one request for a quotation from a potential buyer of said goods or services;

filtering, at said filter means, the at least one request in order to ascertain a set of sellers potentially capable of supplying said goods or services; and

obtaining, from at least one of said potential sellers, over a data network, quotes to supply said goods or services, and forwarding said quotes to said potential buyer, wherein at least part of the quote information is stored at a location remote from said filter means.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of accepting filtering conditions from said potential buyer, and utilizing said filtering conditions in said step of filtering to determine a subset of potentially capable sellers.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said set is limited by said filter conditions and by a predetermined maximum number from which a bid is to be received.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of obtaining comprises the step of each seller contacting said filter means at predetermined intervals and supplying bids in response to any requests for proposal that have arrived at said filtering means and that were determined, by the filter means, to be a request for proposal for goods or services which said each seller is potentially capable of supplying.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of obtaining comprises the step of automatically and periodically supplying the filter means with information sufficient to assemble a bid, and then assembling such bid in response to a request for a bid, and sending the bid to said potential buyer via e-mail.

17. A method of matching buyers of goods and services with sellers of goods and services over a data network comprising the steps of;

communicating, from buyers to a filter means, requests for quotes (RFQs);

filtering said RFQs so that only sellers meeting a first set of filter conditions receive said RFQs;

transmitting, to remotely located seller databases, the filtered RFQs;

accepting quotes from sellers meeting said first set of filter conditions, and filtering said quotes so that only quotes meeting additional filter conditions are sent to a buyer requesting said quotes.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said additional filter conditions are determined by said vendor.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said additional filter conditions are determined by said filter means.