System for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores

• US 6,725,204 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mark R. Gusley
• Original Assignee: Mark R. Gusley
• Inventors: Gusley, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): JASMIN, LYNDA C
• Application Number:
  US09/614,289
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/22, 705/30, 705/37, 705/26, 705/29
• US Class Current: 705/26.35
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores. The system includes a host processor that stores and processes data supplied by a plurality of vendors. The data includes the type quantity and asking price of cores the vendors have available for sale. The data is transferred from the host processor over a data link to a remote terminal for display to a purchaser of cores. An order is communicated from the purchaser to the host computer. The order includes an offer price to purchase at least one of the cores displayed on the remote terminal. The host processor compares the offer price with the asking price, and when the offer price meets or exceeds the asking price for a core, notifies the vendor of the core and the purchaser that a sale has been made. The host processor instructs the vendor of the core to send the core to a consolidation center, where the core is inspected and packaged for shipment to the purchaser in accordance with a set of instructions generated by the host processor in response to the order. The host processor also generates an invoice to the purchaser for the cores included in the order.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors said data comprising the type, quantity and asking price of cores said vendors have available for sale, and sequence in which said data is submitted;

means for transferring said data from said host processor over a data link to a remote terminal for display to a purchaser of cores; and

means for communicating an order from said purchaser to said host processor, said order comprising an offer price to purchase at least one of said cores displayed on said remote terminal;

wherein said host processor further comprises means for comparing said offer price with said asking price for each of said cores based on said sequence in which said data was submitted;

means for determining that predetermined conditions to complete said order have been met;

means responsive to said means for determining for notifying a vendor of at least one core in said sequence and said purchaser that a sale has been made, when said offer price meets or exceeds said asking price for a core;

means for instructing to said vendor of said core to send said core to a consolidation center;

means at said consolidation center for inspecting cores received from each of said vendors and means for packaging said cores for shipment to said purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by said host processor in response to said order; and

means for generating an invoice to said purchaser for the cores included in said order.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein said host processor notifies said vendor and said purchaser that a sale has been made by e-mail.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said vendors supplies data to said host processor using a remote terminal.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data link comprises an internet connection or a modem and telephone line.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein said purchaser communicates said order to said host processor using said remote terminal.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein said host processor further comprises means for limiting access to said data to only authorized vendors and purchasers.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein said host processor further comprises means for permitting a purchaser to search or sort said data by category, part number, or description.

8. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for a purchaser to communicate to said host processor a request to purchase cores that are not displayed on said remote terminal as being available for sale; and

means for communicating said request to said vendors.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein said order comprises cores that have been received at said consolidation center from a plurality of vendors and repackaged for shipment to said purchaser as a single delivery.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the identity of said vendors is not disclosed to said purchaser.

11. The system according to claim 1 further comprising means for said vendors to change the asking price for their cores.

12. A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors, said data comprising the type and quantity of cores said vendors have available for sale, and sequence in which said data is submitted;

means for transferring said data from said host processor over a data link to a remote terminal for display to a purchaser of cores;

means for communicating an order from said purchaser to said host processor, said order comprising an offer price to purchase at least one of said cores displayed on said remote terminal;

wherein said host processor further comprises means for communicating said offer price to said vendors, and

means for communicating to said purchaser that said order cannot be completed when said offer price has not been accepted by enough vendors willing to agree to accept said offer price for their cores to complete said purchaser'"'"'s order, wherein when said order can be completed by a vendor, means for providing shipment instructions to said vendor;

at least one consolidation center having means for inspecting cores received from said vendors and means for packaging said cores for shipment to said purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by said host processor in response to said order by said purchaser; and

means for generating an invoice to said purchaser for the cores included in said order.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein said host processor further comprises means for communicating a counter-offer from a vendor to said purchaser.

14. A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors, said data comprising the type and quantity of cores each of said vendors has available for sale, and sequence in which said data is submitted, said data further comprising an asking price for said cores;

means for transferring said data from said host processor over a data link to a remote terminal for display to a purchaser of cores;

means for said host processor to receive an order from said purchaser to purchase at least one of said cores displayed as available for sale on said remote terminal, said order comprising an offer price for at least one of said cores;

said host processor further comprising means for comparing said offer price with said asking price for said cores based on said sequence in which said data was submitted;

said host processor further comprising means for determining that predetermined conditions to complete said order have been met;

means responsive to said means for determining for notifying a vendor of at least one core in said sequence and said purchaser that a sale has been made, if said offer price meets or exceeds said asking price for a core;

means for instructing to said vendor of said core to send said core to a consolidation center;

said host processor further comprising means for communicating said offer price to other vendors, if said offer price does not meet or exceed the asking price for enough cores to complete said order; and

means responsive to said means for determining for notifying a vendor of said core in said sequence and said purchaser that a sale of said core has been made, if at least one of said other vendors communicates to said host processor a willingness to accept said offer price for a core; and

means for instructing to said other vendor of said core to send said core to said consolidation center;

said host processor further comprising means for communicating to said purchaser that said order cannot be completed because said offer price has not been accepted by enough vendors, if there are not enough vendors willing to agree to accept said offer price to complete said purchaser'"'"'s order;

means at said consolidation center for inspecting cores received from said vendors and means for packaging said cores for shipment to said purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by said host processor in response to said order; and

means for generating an invoice to said purchaser for the cores included in said order.

15. A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors, the data supplied by each vendor comprising;

the identity of the vendor supplying the data;

the type and quantity of cores the vendor has available for sale;

the asking price of the cores the vendor has available for sale, and sequence in which the data is submitted;

means for transferring a portion of the data stored on the host processor to a purchaser of cores over a data link to a remote terminal for display to purchaser, wherein the displayed data does not include the identity of the vendor; and

means for communicating an order from the purchaser to the host processor, the order comprising an offer price to purchase at least one core;

wherein the host processor further comprises means for comparing the offer price with the asking prices of corresponding cores based on the sequence in which the data was submitted;

means for determining whether or not predetermined conditions to complete the order have been met;

means responsive to the means for determining for notifying the vendor of the core in the sequence and the purchaser that a sale has been made, when the offer price meets or exceeds the asking price for a core; and

means responsive to the means for determining for communicating the offer price to the vendors, when the offer price does not meet or exceed the asking price for the core; and

means for communicating to the purchaser that the order cannot be completed when the offer price has not been accepted by enough vendors willing to agree to accept the offer price for their cores to complete the purchaser'"'"'s order;

means for providing shipment instructions to the vendor;

at least one consolidation center having means for inspecting cores received from the vendors and means for packaging the cores for shipment to the purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by the host processor in response to the order by the purchaser;

and means for generating an invoice to the purchaser for the cores included in the order.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein the displayed data does not include the asking price of the cores available for sale.

17. The system according to claim 15 wherein the host processor further comprises means for communicating a counter-offer received from a vendor to the purchaser.

18. The system according to claim 15 further comprising:

means for the purchaser to communicate to the host processor a request to purchase cores that are not displayed on the remote terminal as being available for sale; and

means for communicating the request received from the purchaser to the vendors.

19. The system according to claim 15 further comprising means for permitting the vendors to change the asking price for their cores.

20. The system according to claim 15 wherein the host processor notifies the vendor and the purchaser that a sale has been made by e-mail.

21. The system according to claim 15 wherein the purchaser communicates the order to the host processor using the remote terminal.

22. The system according to claim 15 wherein the host processor further comprises means for limiting access to the data to only authorized vendors and purchasers.