Method for owning, managing, automatically replenishing, and invoicing inventory items

• US 6,249,774 B1
• Filed: 02/23/1998
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amerisourcebergen Services Corporation (Cencora, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bergen Brunswig Corporation (Cencora, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Jadine Y., Roden, Donald R., Aeberli, Urs E., Venezia, Gloria, Ruggerello, Peter I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tesfamariam, Mussie
• Application Number:
  US09/030,882
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/22, 705/10, 705/7, 705/8, 364/468.05, 364/468.13
• US Class Current: 705/28
• 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

Abstract

A method by which a distributor owns, manages, and automatically replenishes the inventory of a business that is a customer of the distributor. The distributor collects information over a start-up period to reflect an inventory of certain designated items that are supplied by the distributor and sold to consumers by the business. From the information collected, a forecast is projected of the demand for the designated items by consumers following the start-up period. The distributor purchases from the business the inventory of designated items and then invoices the business on a unit of use basis for reimbursement, but only at the time when the designated items are sold to consumers by the business. Depending upon a transaction report electronically transmitted to the distributor, the inventory of designated items dispensed to consumers by the business is automatically replenished by the distributor according to the forecast of demand to enable the business to maintain an inventory of designated items to meet the actual demand of consumers.

Claims

1. A method for managing and replenishing the inventory of a business by a distributor, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting and recording information over an initial period of time to reflect the quantity and value of an inventory of certain designated items supplied by the distributor and dispensed to consumers by the business;

processing the information recorded during said initial period of time to project a forecast of the demand for the designated items by consumers following said initial period of time based upon how many of the designated items are dispensed to consumers during said initial period of time;

purchasing the inventory of designated items from the business and invoicing the business for reimbursement when the designated items owned by the distributor are dispensed to consumers by the business; and

automatically replenishing the designated items dispensed to consumers by the business according to said forecast of demand so that the business maintains an inventory of the designated items to meet the actual demand of consumers.

2. The method recited in claim 1, including the additional step of invoicing the business on a unit of use basis, such that the business is charged by the distributor for individual ones of said designated items maintained in the inventory of the business and purchased by the distributor, but only if said individual items have first been dispensed to consumers.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the business electronically transmits a transaction report to the distributor to indicate that at least one of the designated items purchased by the distributor from the inventory of the business has been dispensed to consumers, the distributor processing the transaction report from the business to invoice the business so that the distributor will be reimbursed for said designated items dispensed.

4. The method recited in claim 3, including the additional step of processing the transaction report and recording the number and value of replacement designated items supplied to the business by the distributor to replenish the inventory of designated items dispensed to consumers so that the distributor can keep track of the quantity and value of said replacement designated items in the inventory of the business.

5. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the transaction report transmitted to the distributor also identifies the business, the quantity of said designated items dispensed by the business to consumers, and the identity of the consumers to whom said designated items have been dispensed.

6. The method recited in claim 3, including the additional step of processing the transaction report from the business to identify and eliminate duplicate transactions indicative of the same designated items being dispensed to the same consumers at the same time.

7. The method recited in claim 3, including the additional step of processing the transaction report from the business to identify in the inventory of the distributor replenishment items that correspond to said designated items dispensed to consumers by the business.

8. The method recited in claim 3, including the additional step of processing the transaction report from the business to distinguish said designated items dispensed by the business from any non-designated items in the inventory of the business but not purchased by the distributor.

9. The method recited in claim 3, including the additional step of processing the transaction report from the business to determine the quantity of said designated items dispensed by the business to consumers and the quantity of said designated items required to replenish the inventory of the business and the frequency at which the inventory should be replenished depending upon said forecast of demand for said designated items.

10. The method recited in claim 3, including the additional step of processing the transaction report from the business and updating said forecast of demand for said designated items after said initial period of time depending upon the quantity of said designated items dispensed by the business to consumers and the frequency at which said designated items have been dispensed.

11. A method for managing and replenishing the inventory of a business by a distributor, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting and recording information over an initial period of time to reflect the quantity and value of an inventory of certain designated items supplied by the distributor and dispensed to consumers by the business;

processing the information recording during said initial period of time to project a forecast of the demand for the designated items by consumers following said initial period of time based upon how many of the designated items are dispensed to consumers during said initial period of time;

purchasing and owning the inventory of designated items from and at the site of the business by the distributor;

electronically transmitting a transaction report from the business to the distributor, wherein said transaction report indicates that at least some of the designated items purchased by the distributor from the inventory of the business have been dispensed to consumers by the business;

processing the transaction report by the distributor to identify in the inventory of the distributor replenishment items that correspond to the designated items which have been dispensed to consumers by the business;

invoicing the business by the distributor so that the distributor will be reimbursed for the designated items which have been dispensed to consumers by the business; and

automatically replenishing the designated items dispensed to consumers by the business according to said forecast of demand so that the business maintains an inventory of the designated items.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the business is invoiced by the distributor on a unit of use basis, such that the business is charged by the distributor for individual ones of said designated items maintained in the inventory of the business and purchased by the distributor, but only if said individual items have first been dispensed to consumers.

13. The method recited in claim 11, including the additional step of recording the number and value of designated items supplied to the business by the distributor to replenish the inventory of designated items dispensed to consumers so that the distributor can keep track of the quantity and value of said replacement designated items in the inventory of the business.

14. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the transaction report transmitted from the business to the distributor identifies the business, the quantity of said designated items dispensed by the business to consumers, and the identity of the consumers to whom said designated items have been dispensed.

15. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of processing the transaction report from the business by the distributor includes identifying and eliminating duplicate transactions indicative of the same designated items being dispensed to the same consumers at the same time.

16. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of processing the transaction report from the business includes distinguishing the designated items dispensed by the business from any non-designated items in the inventory of the business but not purchased by the distributor.

17. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of processing the transaction report from the business includes determining the quantity of the designated items dispensed by the business to consumers and the quantity of the designated items required to replenish the inventory of the business and the frequency at which the inventory should be replenished depending upon said forecast of demand for the designated items.

18. The method recited in claim 11, including the additional step of updating said forecast of demand for the designated items after said initial period of time depending upon the quantity of designated items dispensed by the business to consumers and the frequency at which the designated items have been dispensed.

19. A method for managing and replenishing an inventory of items of a business by a distributor, said method comprising the steps of:

purchasing and owning the inventory of items from and at the site of the business by the distributor;

electronically transmitting a transaction report from the business to the distributor, wherein said transaction report indicates that at least some of the inventory items purchased by the distributor from the business have been dispensed to consumers by the business;

processing the transaction report by the distributor to identify in the inventory of the distributor replenishment items that correspond to the inventory items which have been dispensed to consumers by the business;

invoicing the business by the distributor on a unit of use basis so that the distributor will only be reimbursed for individual ones of the inventory items which have actually been dispensed to consumers by the business, whereby ownership of the individual inventory items dispensed by the business will pass to the business; and

replenishing the inventory items dispensed by the business from the inventory of the distributor.

20. The method recited in claim 19, including the additional steps of:

collecting and recording information over an initial period of time to reflect the quantity and value of the inventory items purchased by the distributor and dispensed to consumers by the business;

processing the information recorded during said initial period of time to project a forecast of the demand for the inventory items by consumers following said initial period of time based upon how many inventory items are dispensed to consumers during said initial period of time; and

replenishing from the inventory of the distributor the inventory items dispensed by the business according to said forecast of demand so that the business maintains a supply of the inventory items to meet the actual demand of consumers.