System and method for ordering sample quantities over a network

• US 6,332,135 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1998
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sky Technologies LLC (f/k/a Whitelight Technology, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TradeAccess, Inc.
• Inventors: Conklin, Jeffrey, Foucher, Daniel, Foucher, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEINECKE DIAZ, SUSANNA M
• Application Number:
  US09/192,848
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 705/80, 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 705/39, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A multivariate negotiations engine for ordering sample quantities which: enables a sponsor to create and administer a community between participants such as buyers and sellers having similar interests; allows a buyer/participant to search and evaluate seller information, propose and negotiate orders and counteroffers that include all desired terms, request and order sample quantities, and track activity; allows a seller/participant to use remote authoring templates to create a complete Website for immediate integration and activation in the community, to evaluate proposed buyer orders and counteroffers, and to negotiate multiple variables such as prices, terms, conditions etc., iteratively with a buyer. This also allows buyers and sellers to use and negotiate payment options and methods that are accepted internationally. The system maintains internal databases that contain the history of all transactions in each community, so that sponsors, buyers and sellers may retrieve appropriate records to document each stage of interaction and negotiation. Documents are created by the system during the negotiation process.

Claims

1. A apparatus for ordering sample quantities, comprising:

a network;

a multivariate negotiations system including a storage space, sample quantity software, and negotiations software, such negotiations software including an automated negotiations engine for analyzing terms, the analysis of terms comprising understanding the purpose of the terms, formatting the terms according to the purpose, and placing them into user supplied context for use by a buyer and a seller, the multivariate negotiations system being connected to the network and responsive to terminals communicating along a communications path over the network;

a first storage area in the storage space for storing a seller'"'"'s sample quantity ordering terms;

a seller terminal for use by a seller connected to the network, the seller terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path over the network which flows through the multivariate negotiations system;

a buyer terminal for use by a buyer connected to the network, the buyer terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path over the network which flows through the multivariate negotiations system, during iterative processing, the sample quantity software selecting any sample quantity ordering terms offered by the seller terminal, sending the sample quantity ordering terms to the buyer terminal upon request at any time during negotiations, and processing payment between buyer and seller therefor, the automated negotiations engine recognizing the users at the seller terminal and the buyer terminal as negotiators and recognizing one of the users as a deciding entity, such automated negotiations engine further recognizing any changes in the terms and storing in the storage space the terms each terminal proposes, and recognizing the terminal to which proposed terms are being sent as the indicated terminal, sending terms to the indicated terminal, the automated negotiations engine indicating any changes in the terms until a set of terms is acted upon in a final manner by the deciding entity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sample ordering software further comprises an electronic mail notification which informs the seller terminal when an order has been placed and must be shipped.

3. A method for ordering sample quantities, comprising the steps of:

establishing communications paths over a network;

connecting a multivariate negotiations system including a storage space, sample quantity software and negotiations software, such negotiations software including an automated negotiations engine for analyzing terms, the analysis of terms comprising understanding the purpose of the terms, formatting the terms according to that purpose, and placing them into user supplied context for use by a user to the network;

defining a first storage area in the storage space for storing a seller'"'"'s sample quantity ordering terms;

connecting a seller terminal for use by a seller to the network, the seller terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path over the network which flows through the multivariate negotiations engine system;

connecting a buyer terminal for use by a buyer to the network, the buyer terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path over the network which flows through the multivariate negotiations engine system, during iterative processing, the sample quantity software selecting any sample quantity ordering terms offered by the seller terminal, sending the sample quantity ordering terms to the buyer terminal upon request at any time during negotiations, and processing payment between buyer and seller therefor, the automated negotiations engine recognizing the users at the seller terminal and the buyer terminal as negotiators and recognizing one of the users as a deciding entity, such automated negotiations engine further recognizing any changes in the terms and storing in the storage space the terms each terminal proposes, and recognizing the terminal to which proposed terms are being sent as the indicated terminal, sending terms to the indicated terminal, the automated negotiations engine indicating any changes in the terms until a set of terms is acted upon in a final manner by the deciding entity.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of connecting a buyer terminal to the network further comprises the step of informing the seller terminal by electronic mail when an order has been placed and must be shipped.