Electronic menu document creator in a virtual financial environment

• US 7,167,844 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Leong, Cheah Wee, Ng, William
• Primary Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/470,042
• Time in Patent Office: 2,589 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/80, 705/37, 705/50, 705/51, 345/835, 709/217, 713/176
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

The disclosure provides for creating a finalized document relating to a transaction. A buyer selects documents associated with a proposed transaction and indicates trade terms of an agreement relating to the documents selected. The trade terms are presented to a seller on an electronic form via an electronic document platform. The electronic form includes a combined purchase order proforma invoice, a transportation document, and a shipping document. The seller can amend the trade terms on the form, and each amendment creates a new version of the form. Negotiations of the trade terms between the buyer and the seller are conducted electronically and the negotiated fonn detailing the negotiation of the trade terms is generated and displayed electronically, also. A compliance check is performed and is triggered in response to a digital signature of the form. Payment is initiated to the seller after a verification of credit of the buyer.

Claims

1. A method for completing a purchase order/invoice, comprising the steps of:

allowing a buyer to select among a plurality of documents associated with a proposed transaction;

allowing the buyer to indicate requirements of trade terms of an agreement relating to the documents selected, wherein the trade terms are presented to a seller on an electronic form via an electronic document platform, such that the electronic form includes a combined purchase order proforma invoice, an electronic transportation document, and an electronic shipping document, wherein the electronic shipping document includes one of an insurance certificate, an inspection certificate, a certificate of origin, an invoice/declaration, a counselor'"'"'s invoice, a sanction and boycott declaration, a packing list, a weight list, a lab test report, and a beneficiary certificate;

permitting the seller to amend the trade terms on the electronic form;

creating a new version of the electronic form delineating the trade terms upon each amendment;

allowing a negotiation of the trade terms between the buyer and the seller electronically;

generating electronically and displaying the negotiated electronic form detailing the negotiation of the trade terms;

permitting a digital signature of the electronic form detailing the negotiation of the trade terms;

performing a compliance check, wherein the compliance check is triggered automatically in response to the digital signature of the electronic form, and wherein the compliance check includes both checking the combined purchase order proforma invoice against the electronic transportation document and checking the electronic transportation document against the electronic shipping document; and

initiating payment to the seller only after receiving a verification of credit of the buyer.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the form includes a first section indicating the terms, a second section for allowing the buyer to sign off on the terms, and a third section for allowing the seller to sign off on the terms.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the form is displayed after the negotiation of the terms in response to the selection of an icon.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of displaying the documents supporting the form.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of automatically sending the form to a database utilizing a network in response to the buyer and seller finishing the signing of the form.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment is completed only after checking the form and receipt of payment authorization from the buyer.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of filtering the trade terns of the form, and outputting the form with only the trade terns included after filtering.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of allowing generation of standard documents associated with the form to be used therewith.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic transportation document includes a bill of lading, including an airway bill of lading, an ocean bill of lading, or a truck bill of lading.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of creating commercial shipping documents utilizing input from the seller.

11. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for creating a finalized document, comprising:

a code segment for allowing a buyer to select among a plurality of documents associated with a proposed transaction;

a code segment for allowing the buyer to indicate requirements of trade terms of an agreement relating to the documents selected, wherein the trade terms are presented to a seller on an electronic form via an electronic document platform, such that the electronic form includes a combined purchase order proforma invoice, an electronic transportation document, and an electronic shipping document, wherein the electronic shipping document includes one of an insurance certificate, an inspection certificate, a certificate of origin, an invoice/declaration, a counselor'"'"'s invoice, a sanction and boycott declaration, a packing list, a weight list, a lab test report, and a beneficiary certificate;

a code segment for permitting the seller to amend the trade terms on the electronic form;

a code segment for creating a new version of the electronic form delineating the trade terms upon each amendment;

a code segment for allowing a negotiation of the trade terms between the buyer and the seller electronically;

a code segment for generating electronically and displaying the negotiated electronic form detailing the negotiation of the trade terms;

a code segment for permitting a digital signature of the electronic form detailing the negotiation of the trade terms;

a code segment for performing a compliance check, wherein the compliance check is triggered automatically in response to the digital signature of the electronic form, and wherein the compliance check includes both checking the combined purchase order proforma invoice against the electronic transportation document and checking the electronic transportation document against the electronic shipping document; and

a code segment for initiating payment to the seller only after receiving a verification of credit of the buyer.

12. The computer program as recited in claim 11, wherein the form includes a first section indicating the terms, a second section for allowing the buyer to sign off on the terms, and a third section for allowing the seller to sign off on the terms.

13. The computer program as recited in claim 11, wherein the form is displayed after the negotiation of the terms in response to the selection of an icon.

14. The computer program as recited in claim 11, and further comprising a code segment for displaying the documents supporting the form.

15. The computer program as recited in claim 11, and further comprising a code segment for automatically sending the form to a database utilizing a network in response to the buyer and seller finishing the signing of the form.

16. The computer program as recited in claim 11, wherein the payment is completed only after checking the form and receipt of payment authorization from the buyer.

17. The computer program as recited in claim 11, and further comprising a code segment for filtering the trade terms of the form, and outputting the form with only the trade terms included after filtering.

18. The computer program as recited in claim 11, and further comprising a code segment for allowing generation of standard documents associated with the form to be used therewith.

19. The computer program of claim 11, wherein the electronic transportation document includes a bill of lading, including an airway bill of lading, an ocean bill of lading, or a truck bill of lading.

20. The computer program as recited in claim 11, and further comprising a code segment for creating commercial shipping documents utilizing input from the seller.

21. A system for creating a finalized document, comprising:

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for allowing a buyer to select among a plurality of documents associated with a proposed transaction;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for allowing the buyer to indicate requirements of trade terms of an agreement relating to the documents selected, wherein the trade terms are presented to a seller on an electronic form via an electronic document platform, such that the electronic form includes a combined purchase order proforma invoice, an electronic transportation document, and an electronic shipping document, wherein the electronic shipping document includes one of an insurance certificate, an inspection certificate, a certificate of origin, an invoice/declaration, a counselor'"'"'s invoice, a sanction and boycott declaration, a packing list, a weight list, a lab test report, and a beneficiary certificate;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for permitting the seller to amend the trade terms on the electronic form;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for creating a new version of the electronic form delineating the trade terms upon each amendment;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for allowing a negotiation of the trade terms between a buyer and a seller electronically;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for generating electronically and displaying the negotiated electronic form detailing the negotiations of the terms;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for permitting the digital signature of the electronic form detailing the negotiations of the terms;

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for performing a compliance check, wherein the compliance check is triggered automatically in response to the digital signature of the electronic form, and wherein the compliance check includes both checking the combined purchase order proforma invoice against the electronic transportation document and checking the electronic transportation document against the electronic shipping document; and

logic encoded on a computer readable memory for initiating payment to the seller only after receiving a verification of credit of the buyer.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the form includes a first section indicating the terms, a second section for allowing the buyer to sign off on the terms, and a third section for allowing the seller to sign off on the terms.

23. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the form is displayed after the negotiation of the terms in response to the selection of an icon.

24. The system as recited in claim 21, and further comprising logic encoded on a computer readable memory for displaying the documents supporting the form.

25. The system as recited in claim 21, and further comprising logic encoded on a computer readable memory for automatically sending the form to a database utilizing a network in response to the buyer and seller finishing the signing of the form.

26. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the payment is completed only after checking the form and receipt of payment authorization from the buyer.

27. The system as recited in claim 21, and further comprising logic encoded on a computer readable memory for filtering the trade terms of the form, and outputting the form with only the trade terms included after filtering.

28. The system as recited in claim 21, and further comprising logic encoded on a computer readable memory for allowing generation of standard documents associated with the form to be used therewith.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the electronic transportation document includes a bill of lading, including an airway bill of lading, an ocean bill of lading, or a truck bill of lading.

30. The system as recited in claim 21, and further comprising logic encoded on a computer readable memory for creating commercial shipping documents utilizing input from the seller.