System for providing business information

• US 6,301,574 B1
• Filed: 11/06/1998
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Information Exchange, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Efirms.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Osborne, Jason Daniel, Thomas, Brian Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/186,927
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/103, 707/104, 707/3, 707/6, 707/9, 707/10, 705/37, 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 709/227, 700/92
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

An apparatus, method and data structure for communicating business information, including outsourcing information. Contractor provide information regarding their products and services into the system. Outsourcing companies search a database containing contractor information to determine which contractor meet a particular search criteria. Selected contractors receive project information and, optionally, a bid template. Bid information is supplied to the database operator. The operator prepares a table of bid information that is sent to the outsourcing companies for review. Evaluation information relating to contractors and outsourcing companies is obtained from both outsourcing companies and contractors and stored on a database. The evaluation information is provided to outsourcing companies and contractors as part of the bid and project information

Claims

1. A method of communicating outsourcing information between an outsourcing company and a plurality of contractors comprising:

storing contractor information and outsourcing company information into a database using an information template;

searching the database by using a search template to identify a first subset of contractors meeting specific criteria defined by the outsourcing company;

transmitting outsourcing information to the first subset of contractors from the database;

accepting bid information at the database from a second subset of contractors using a bid template, the second subset of contractors being a part of said first subset of contractors;

processing at the database bid information received from said second subset of contractors to prepare a bid information report;

transmitting the bid information report to the outsourcing company from the database;

storing for access by users at the database a contractor evaluation provided by the outsourcing company using a first evaluation template, wherein the first evaluation template includes contractor performance, timing, budget, contract term, recommendation, comments and overall performance fields; and

storing for access by users at the database an outsourcing company evaluation provided by the contractor using a second evaluation template, wherein the second evaluation template includes performance, recommendation, timely payment, availability to aid and assist, importance of project, suggestions handling, compatibility, comments and overall performance fields.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting outsourcing information to the first subset of contractors further comprises transmitting a bid template.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting a bid information report to the outsourcing company further comprises transmitting a bid information table.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting a bid information report to the outsourcing company further comprises transmitting an address location on the database.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing evaluations of users on the database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting out sourcing information to the first subset of contractors further comprises transmitting evaluations of outsourcing companies.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting a bid information report to the outsourcing company further comprises transmitting evaluations of contractors.

8. An apparatus for communicating outsourcing information between an outsourcing company and a plurality of contractors comprising:

a server computer having a storage area;

a plurality of contractor computers, each of said plurality of contractor computers communicating contractor information to said storage area of said server computer using an information template;

an outsourcing computer, said outsourcing computer communicating outsourcing company information and specific criteria using a search template to said server computer;

wherein said server computer identifies and transmits outsourcing information to a first subset of said plurality of contractor computers, accepts bid information from a second subset of said plurality of contractor computers using a bid template, the second subset of contractor computers being a part of said first subset of contractor computers, processes bid information received from said second subset of contractor computers to prepare a bid information report, and transmits the bid information report to said outsourcing computer, stores for access by users a contractor evaluation provided by the outsourcing computer using a first evaluation template, wherein the first evaluation template includes contractor performance, timing, budget, contract term, recommendation, comments and overall performance fields, and stores for access by users at the server computer an outsourcing company evaluation provided by the contractor computer using a second evaluation template, wherein the second evaluation template includes performance, recommendation, timely payment, availability to aid and assist, importance of project, suggestions handling, compatibility comments and overall performance fields.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said server computer transmits performance evaluations to said contractor computers.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said server computer transmits performance evaluations to said outsourcing computer.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said server computer transmits a bid template to said first subset of said plurality of contractor computers.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said server computer transmits a location in said storage area containing said bid information report to said outsourcing computer.

13. An apparatus for communicating outsourcing information between an outsourcing company and a plurality of contractors comprising:

a database;

means for entering contractor information and outsourcing companies information into said database using an information template;

means for searching said database by using a search template to identify a first subset of said plurality of contractors meeting specific criteria defined by the outsourcing company;

means for transmitting outsourcing information to said first subset of said plurality of contractors from said database;

means for accepting bid information at said database from a second subset of said plurality of contractors using a bid template, the second subset of contractors being a part of said first subset of contractors;

means for processing at the database bid information received from said second subset of contractors to prepare a bid information report;

means for sending the bid information report to said outsourcing company from said database;

means for storing for access by users at the database a contractor evaluation provided by the outsourcing company using a first evaluation template, wherein the first evaluation template includes contractor performance, timing, budget, contract term, recommendation, comments and overall performance fields; and

means for storing for access by users at the database an outsourcing company evaluation provided by the contractor using a second evaluation template, wherein the second evaluation template includes performance, recommendation, timely payment, availability to aid and assist, importance of project, suggestions handling, compatibility, comments and overall performance fields.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for transmitting performance evaluations from said database.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for transmitting a storage location on said database containing said bid information report to said outsourcing computer.

16. In a system for communicating outsourcing information between an outsourcing company and a plurality of contractors, a computer-readable memory for storing data for access by an application program comprising:

a data structure stored in said computer-readable memory, said data structure including information used by said application program and including;

a plurality of contractor information fields;

a plurality of outsourcing company information fields;

a plurality of criteria fields defined by the outsourcing company used to search said plurality of contractor information fields;

a plurality of first subset fields for identifying a first subset of said plurality of contractors;

a plurality of outsourcing information fields for sending said outsourcing information to said first subset of said plurality of contractors;

a plurality of bid fields for accepting bid information using a bid template from a second subset of said plurality of contractors, the second subset of plurality of contractors being a part of said first subset of plurality of contractors;

a plurality of bid information table fields for placing bid information for review by said outsourcing company;

a plurality of contractor evaluation field for storing an evaluation provided by the outsourcing company using a first evaluation template, wherein the evaluation template includes contractor performance, timing, budget, contract term, recommendation, comments and overall performance fields for access by all users; and

a plurality of outsourcing company evaluation field for storing an evaluation provided by the contractor using a second evaluation template, wherein the second evaluation template includes performance, recommendation, timely payment, availability to aid and assist, importance of project, suggestions handling, compatibility, comments and overall performance fields for access by all users.

17. The data structure of said computer-readable memory of claim 16 wherein said plurality of outsourcing information fields further comprises a bid template.

18. The data structure of said computer-readable memory of claim 16 wherein said plurality of bid information table fields further comprises a bid information report.

19. The data structure of said computer-readable memory of claim 16 wherein said plurality of bid information table fields further comprises a bid information table.

20. The data structure of said computer-readable memory of claim 16 further comprising an address field for sending said outsourcing company an address location of said plurality of bid information table fields.