Virtual print market place
First Claim
1. A method of creating, via a network, a print market place, in which a market portal gathers information from a service provider and an interactive shop to create a relationship between the service provider and the interactive shop, and the interactive shop offers products and/or services to its customers, the method comprising:
- collecting, by the market portal, market information, comprising an identity of service providers and the print services and pricing provided by each of the service providers;
storing, by the market portal, the market information;
obtaining, by the market portal, criteria established by an interactive shop for selecting service providers to provide the print services, wherein the criteria is edited using a selection criteria interface which comprises a listing of a plurality of categories for selection of service providers and possible input; and
selecting, by the market portal, one or more service providers identified using the market information to provide the set of print services based on the criteria and the market information;
wherein the interactive shop offers products and services to its customers via a graphical user interface by which a customer of the interactive shop orders products and services offered by the interactive shop; and
wherein the print services and pricing information is collected and the selection criteria is obtained independent of an order by a customer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method to create a virtual print market place using one or more interconnected computers comprising collecting market information comprising an identity of service providers and the print services and pricing provided by each, obtaining criteria established by an interactive shop for selecting service providers to provide print services offered to patrons of the interactive shops; and selecting service providers to provide the set of print services based on the criteria and the market information. In another aspect, a method of creating a market place is provided comprising obtaining bids from service providers identifying print services and terms for providing the print services as well as from interactive shops identifying print services and terms for purchasing the print services and establishing an agreement between the service provider and the interactive shop when the terms are compatible.
94 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of creating, via a network, a print market place, in which a market portal gathers information from a service provider and an interactive shop to create a relationship between the service provider and the interactive shop, and the interactive shop offers products and/or services to its customers, the method comprising:
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collecting, by the market portal, market information, comprising an identity of service providers and the print services and pricing provided by each of the service providers; storing, by the market portal, the market information; obtaining, by the market portal, criteria established by an interactive shop for selecting service providers to provide the print services, wherein the criteria is edited using a selection criteria interface which comprises a listing of a plurality of categories for selection of service providers and possible input; and selecting, by the market portal, one or more service providers identified using the market information to provide the set of print services based on the criteria and the market information; wherein the interactive shop offers products and services to its customers via a graphical user interface by which a customer of the interactive shop orders products and services offered by the interactive shop; and wherein the print services and pricing information is collected and the selection criteria is obtained independent of an order by a customer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps to create, via a network, a print market place, in which a market portal gathers information from a service provider and an interactive shop to create a relationship between the service provider and the interactive shop, and the interactive shop offers products and/or services to its customers, the steps comprising:
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a collecting step to collect, by the market portal, market information comprising an identity of service providers and the print services and pricing provided by each of the service providers; storing, by the market portal, the market information; an obtaining step to obtain, by the market portal, criteria established by an interactive shop for selecting service providers to provide print services, wherein the criteria is edited using a selection criteria interface which comprises a listing of a plurality of categories for selection of service providers and possible input; and a selecting step to select, by the market portal, one or more service providers identified using the market information to provide the set of print services based on the criteria and the market information, wherein the interactive shop offers products and services to its customers via a graphical user interface by which a customer of the interactive shop orders products and services offered by the interactive shop, and wherein the print services and pricing information is collected and the selection criteria is obtained independent of an order by a customer.
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Specification