Automated ordering method

• US 5,808,894 A
• Filed: 10/26/1994
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Optipat, Inc. (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Burgess, Richard A., Wiens, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US08/329,725
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468.1, 364/478.1, 364/479.1, 364/401-403, 364/478.03, 364/478.04, 364/478.08, 364/478.13, 364/478.14, 364/478.01, 364/479.01 , 364/479.02, 364/479.06, 235/375, 235/376, 235/380-382, 235/382.5, 235/385
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method for automated ordering by a customer at a remote location to a vendor in a central location, comprises the steps of composing an order at the remote location and entering the order into a customer computer; initiating a connection between the customer computer and a vendor computer at the central location across a communications media; transmitting at least the order and customer information identifying the customer to the vendor computer by the customer computer; verifying the order in the vendor computer and transmitting a job number from the vendor computer to the customer computer; comparing the customer information in the vendor computer with previously-stored customer database information; entering the order for further processing in a first manner if the comparing step produces a match between the customer information and the previously-stored customer database information; and entering the order for further processing in a second manner if the comparing step does not produce a match between the customer information and the previously-stored customer database information.

Claims

1. A method for automated ordering by a customer at a remote location to a vendor in a central location, comprising the steps of:

composing an order at the remote location and entering said order into a customer computer;

initiating a connection between said customer computer and a vendor computer at said central location across a communications media after composing said order;

transmitting at least said order and customer information identifying said customer to said vendor computer by said customer computer;

verifying said order in said vendor computer and transmitting a job number from said vendor computer to said customer computer;

comparing said customer information in said vendor computer with previously-stored customer database information;

entering said order for further processing in a first manner if said comparing step produces a match between said customer information and said previously-stored customer database information; and

entering said order for further processing in a second manner if said comparing step does not produce a match between said customer information and said previously-stored customer database information.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of adding said customer information into said previously-stored customer database information if said comparing step does not produce a match between said customer information and said previously-stored customer database information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of comparing said customer information in said vendor computer with previously-stored customer database information comprises:

comparing a customer name field in said customer information with customer name information in said previously-stored customer database information;

comparing a customer address field in said customer information with customer address information in said previously-stored customer database information;

comparing a customer telephone number field in said customer information with customer telephone number information in said previously-stored customer database information; and

indicating a match if all three comparison steps are successful.