Supplier driven commerce transaction processing system and methodology

• US 5,893,076 A
• Filed: 01/16/1996
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sterling Commerce (America) Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Hafner, Edward A., Steinberger, Jay S., Humphrey, Robert C., Gracon, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US08/586,385
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/10, 705/28, 705/29, 705/30
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A transaction processing system for processing business transactions between a supplier and retailer is provided. The transaction processing system may comprise a retailer processor, a replenishment processor, and a supplier processor. The retailer processor transmits business data from the retailer. The replenishment processor receives the business data and generates suggested business transactions that are communicated to the supplier processor. The supplier processor is operable to selectively modify the suggested business transaction and communicate them to the replenishment processor. The replenishment processor generates actual business transactions.

Claims

1. A transaction processing system for processing business transactions between a supplier and retailer processor, comprising:

a retailer processor for transmitting business data from said retailer;

a replenishment processor for receiving said business data from said retailer processor, said replenishment processor generating suggested business transactions from said business data;

a supplier processor, said supplier processor receiving said suggested business transactions from said replenishment processor and selectively modifying and approving said suggested business transactions; and

said replenishment processor receiving said selectively approved and modified business transactions and generating actual business transactions therefrom.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a retailer client processor for monitoring said supplier processor.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said retailer client processor communicates with said supplier server application via a TELNET connection.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a value added network, said value added network communicating with said retailer processor and said replenishment processor and said value added network selectively transmitting said business data and said actual business transactions to said retailer processor and said replenishment processor.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said replenishment processor comprises:

an interface layer for communicating with said value added network;

an inventory population subprocessor;

a stock population subprocessor;

a forecasting engine, said forecasting engine receiving said business data;

a suggested business transaction generator;

an actual business transaction generator;

a communications manager;

a database manager;

a stock data file and an inventory activity file for storing said business data; and

,

a suggested order quantity queue for sequentially storing said suggested order quantities.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said forecasting engine comprises a regression analysis and seasonal forecasting based forecasting engine.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said forecasting engine comprises a neural network based forecasting engine.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein said forecasting engine runs on a schedule.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein said forecasting engine runs on demand.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein said database manager comprises a relational database manager.

11. The system of claim 5 wherein said database manager comprises a hierarchical database manager.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said replenishment processor includes a forecasting engine.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said forecasting engine runs on demand.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein said forecasting engine runs on a schedule.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said retailer processor communicates with said replenishment processor via an X.25 network connection.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said retailer processor communicates with said replenishment processor via a direct connection.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said replenishment processor communicates with said supplier processor via an X.25 network connection.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said replenishment processor communicates with said supplier processor via a direct connection.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said business data comprises stock, sales and inventory activity data.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said suggested business transactions comprise suggested orders.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said actual business transactions comprise purchase orders.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein said selectively approved and modified business transactions comprise orders.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein said retailer processor receives actual business transactions.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein said supplier processor receives actual business transactions.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein said supplier processor comprises a single server for receiving said actual business transactions and selectively modifying and approving said suggested business transactions.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein said single server is a personal computer.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein said single server is a workstation.

28. The system of claim 1 wherein said supplier server comprises a first server for receiving said actual business transactions and a second server for selectively modifying and approving said suggested business transactions.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said first server is a personal computer.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein said first server is a workstation.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein said second server is a personal computer.

32. The system of claim 28 wherein said second server is a workstation.

33. The system of claim 1 wherein said supplier processor further comprises processing means for manually selectively modifying and approving said suggested business transactions.

34. The system of claim 1 wherein said supplier processor further comprises a replenishment application.

35. The system of claim 1 wherein said supplier processor comprises:

a suggested business transactions review/change subprocessor;

a file maintenance subprocessor;

a forecast processing subprocessor;

a batch processing subprocessor; and

,

a communications manager.

36. The system of claim 35 further comprising a TELNET interface, said TELNET interface transmitting to and receiving from said retailer processor.

37. The system of claim 35 further comprising a report processor.

38. The system of claim 35 further comprising a stock maintenance subprocessor.

39. The system of claim 35 further comprising a GUI interface.

40. The system of claim 35 wherein said forecast processing subprocessor comprises seasonal and demand parameter maintenance and scheduling maintenance functions.

41. The system of claim 1 further comprising a catalog system, said catalog system receiving inventory data from said supplier processor and said retailer host application.

42. A method for online processing of business transactions comprising the steps of:

transmitting retailer business data from a retailer processor to a replenishment processor;

forecasting future business transaction quantities;

generating suggested business transactions;

transmitting suggested business transactions to a supplier processor;

selectively approving or modifying said suggested business transactions; and

,

creating actual business transactions.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of transmitting said actual business transactions to said supplier server.

44. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of transmitting said actual business transactions to a retailer server.

45. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of transmitting stock data changes to said replenishment processor.