Hierarchical data structure for vehicle identification and configuration data including protected customer data

• US 7,236,983 B1
• Filed: 08/13/1999
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fair Servicing LLC (Fair Financial Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chrome Data Corporation (CSC Oregon Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Charlie, Garrigus, Tom, Hug, Celas, Nabors, Forrest
• Primary Examiner(s): WASSUM, LUKE S
• Application Number:
  US09/374,577
• Time in Patent Office: 2,874 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/26, 707/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A description language providing a hierarchical data structure that includes a public portion, hierarchically storing product information including identification of the product and standard and optional features desired for the product. The data structure further includes a private portion for secure storage of customer information. The discloser includes a system comprising a server with a product database, an intermediary subsystem, and a seller subsystem. A product is configured which stores the configured product and features in the data structure. A request for quote (RFQ) is transmitted, with the data structure, to sellers in the customer'"'"'s geographic area, based on a comparison of product features with sellers stock. Quotes are returned from the sellers in response to which the customer sends an acceptance of a quote to the appropriate seller. While the invention is applicable to any product available in multiple configurations, specific embodiments are directed to vehicle implementations.

Claims

1. A vehicle description language (VDL) hierarchical data structure that is stored in a memory system of one or more communicatively coupled computing systems interconnected through an intermediary subsystem and transmitted via communications medium between the communicatively coupled computing systems to communicate information associated with a vehicle in support of application(s) executing thereon, the data structure comprising:

(a) a public block of data, having starting and ending delimiters that identify the beginning and end of the block of data, wherein the public block of data comprises;

(i) a vehicle identification sub-block hierarchically nested in the public block of data and comprising a plurality of data items wherein the data items are selected from the group consisting of manufacturer, model, model year and style of the vehicle,

(ii) a vehicle detail sub-block hierarchically nested in the public block of data, wherein the vehicle detail sub-block comprises;

(1) a standard feature sub-block hierarchically nested in the vehicle detail sub-block and comprising a plurality of standard feature categories, wherein each standard feature category is hierarchically nested in the standard feature sub-block and comprises a plurality of data items relating to standard equipment available on a vehicle, and

(2) an optional feature sub-block hierarchically nested in the vehicle detail sub-block and comprising a plurality of option categories, wherein each option category is hierarchically nested in the option sub-block and comprises a plurality of data items relating to a particular category of optional equipment desired on a particular vehicle; and

(b) a private block of data comprising a plurality of data items relating to the customer who is ordering the vehicle including at least a ranking of product attributes;

wherein one of the computing systems receives the data structure and operates on at least the vehicle detail sub-block to select a subset of a target group of sellers by comparing at least features of the vehicle in a request for quote (RFQ) with products of at least one seller from the target group of sellers.

2. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein each sub-block contains a starting delimiter and an ending delimiter, wherein the starting delimiter identifies the block or sub-block within which the sub-block is nested.

3. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein each category consists essentially of a starting delimiter and an ending delimiter identifying the sub-block within which the category is nested.

4. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein each data item consists essentially of a starting delimiter and an ending delimiters identifying the block, sub-block or category within which the data item is nested.

5. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein the standard categories are selected from the group consisting of comprise exterior, interior, mechanical, safety, fuel mileage, rating, and combinations thereof.

6. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein the option categories are selected from the group consisting of emissions, engine, transmission, preferred equipment groups, appearance package, tires, seat type, seat trim, paint additional options, and combinations thereof.

7. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein the public block further comprises a color sub-block nested within the public block, wherein the color sub-block having nested therein categories comprises color selections and color combinations.

8. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein the data items in the private block comprise the customer'"'"'s name, address and phone number.

9. The vehicle description language of claim 1 wherein the language is implemented with Extensible Markup Language (XML).

10. The vehicle description language of claim 1, wherein the vehicle description language is employed in communications between at least two communicatively coupled computing systems.

11. A storage medium comprising content which, when executed, causes a computing system to process a vehicle descriptor language (VDL) datagram including information to describe an automobile for transmission stored in a memory, the VDL datagram comprising:

(a) a public block of data, having starting and ending delimiters that identify the beginning and end of the block of data, wherein the public block of data comprises;

(i) a vehicle identification sub-block hierarchically nested in the public block of data and comprising a plurality of data items wherein the data items are selected from the group consisting of manufacturer, mode, model year and style of the vehicle,

(ii) a vehicle detail sub-block hierarchically nested in the public block of data, wherein the vehicle detail sub-block comprises;

(1) a standard feature sub-block hierarchically nested in the vehicle detail sub-block and comprising a plurality of standard feature categories, wherein each standard feature category is hierarchically nested in the standard feature sub-block and comprises a plurality of data items relating to standard equipment available on a vehicle, and

(2) an optional feature sub-block hierarchically nested in the vehicle detail sub-block and comprising a plurality of option categories, wherein each option category is hierarchically nested in the option sub-block and comprises a plurality of data items relating to a particular category of optional equipment desired on a particular vehicle; and

(b) a private block of data comprising a plurality of data items relating to the customer who is ordering the vehicle including at least a ranking of product attributes;

wherein computing system operates on at least the vehicle detail sub-block to select a subset of a target group of sellers by comparing at least features of the vehicle in a request for quote (RFQ) with products of at least one seller from the target group of sellers.

12. A storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the communicatively coupled memory is located within a remote computing appliance, coupled to the computing system through transmission means.