Systems for processing a product price or quotation request and placing a product order via a communications network

• US 7,333,944 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William F. Harris
• Original Assignee: William F. Harris
• Inventors: Harris, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A.
• Application Number:
  US09/662,398
• Time in Patent Office: 2,714 Days
• Field of Search: 705/25, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for a manufacturer to attract a customer for a distributor, via a public access network, and perform product information and ordering transactions with the customer, where the order receives the financing approval of the distributor and an associated manufacturer'"'"'s representative receives a commission. The system and method includes the customer submitting a price/quotation request or product order to a host system via the public access communications network. The host system interacts with the customer, the manufacturer and the distributor in order to fulfill the customer request. The host system retrieves a customer price for the product, where the customer price is based on a predetermined pricing function that varies depending on a customer or distributor identification. The host system may also generate an order for purchase, based on the customer'"'"'s request, and transmit customer information associated with the order to the distributor for financial acceptance. Upon receiving a signal representing a financial acceptance, a commission is assigned to a manufacturer'"'"'s representative associated with the order, where the commission is determined based on a predetermined commission function. The host system interacts with the customer, distributor and manufacturer to insure fulfillment of the order, including shipment of the order and settlement of payments.

Claims

1. A server system for generating an order for a product, comprising:

a receiver component that receives, on behalf of a manufacturer, requests to order a product from a customer and for receiving financial authorization from a distributor, a request including a product code that identifies the product and a customer identification that identifies a customer, and a financial authorization comprising an acknowledgment from the distributor verifying a customer account even though the request is received by the receiver component in a manner independent of the distributor;

a data storage medium storing information for a plurality of products, including a customer price associated with each of the plurality of products;

an order placement component that retrieves from the data storage medium information for the identified product and that uses the retrieved information to place an order from the manufacturer of the identified product; and

an order fulfillment component that completes a purchase of the product in accordance with the order placed by the order placement component including arrangement for shipping by the manufacturer and billing of the distributor.

2. The server system of claim 1, wherein the customer identification includes an indication of the distributor so as to identify the predetermined pricing function.

3. The server system of claim 1, wherein the customer identification includes a customer account number associated with the distributor.

4. The server system of claim 3, wherein the receiver component is further for receiving an account number acknowledgment from the distributor associated with the customer account number so as to identify the predetermined pricing function.

5. The server system of claim 1, wherein the data storage medium further includes pricing information associated with a plurality of distributors, and wherein the predetermined pricing function includes the distributor pricing information of the identified distributor in the customer price.

6. The server system of claim 1, further comprising a commission component that determines a commission and assigns the commission to a manufacturer'"'"'s representative, where the commission is based on the order, and where the manufacturer'"'"'s representative is associated with the customer identification.

7. The server system of claim 1, further comprising a commission component that determines a commission and assigns the commission to a manufacturer'"'"'s representative, where the commission is based on the order, and where the manufacturer'"'"'s representative is associated with the product.

8. The server system of claim 1, further comprising a commission component that determines a commission and assigns the commission to a manufacturer'"'"'s representative, where the commission is based on the order, and where the manufacturer'"'"'s representative is associated with the customer identification and the product.

9. The server system of claim 1, wherein the data storage medium further comprises stored information associating a manufacturer'"'"'s representative with a plurality of predetermined variables;

and further comprising a commission component that determines a commission and assigns the commission to a manufacturer'"'"'s representative based on at least one of the plurality of predetermined variables, where the commission is based on the customer price.

10. The server system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of predetermined variables includes at least one of a territory, a distributor, a manufacturer, a commission percentage and the customer identification.

11. The server system of claim 1, wherein the receiver component is in communication via a public access communications network with a site displaying information for the product, and wherein the order is received via the public access network.

12. The server system of claim 1, wherein the receiver component is in communication via a public access communications network with a manufacturer-specific site displaying information for the product, where the manufacturer-specific site primarily displays only products of a single manufacturer, and wherein the order is received via the public access network.

13. A server system for generating an order for a product, comprising:

a receiver component that receives, on behalf of a manufacturer, requests to order a product from a customer, a request including a product code that identifies the product and a customer identification that identifies a customer, the receiver component also configured to receive financial authorization from a distributor verifying a customer account even though the request is received by the receiver component in a manner independent of the distributor;

a data storage medium storing information for a plurality of products and storing information for a plurality of agents associated with the product, where the stored product information includes a customer price associated with the product, where the stored agent information includes at least one predetermined variable associated with each of the plurality of agents; and

a commission component that determines a commission and assigns the commission to one of the plurality of agents based on at least one of the plurality of predetermined variables even though the request is received by the receiver component in a manner independent of the agents and even though the request is fulfilled in a manner independent of the agents.

14. The server system of claim 13, wherein the predetermined variable includes at least one of a territory, a distributor, a manufacturer, a commission percentage and the customer identification.

15. The server system of claim 13, wherein the data storage medium further comprises a commission percentage associated with each of the plurality of products, wherein the commission percentage is a rate for calculating the commission, and wherein the commission is based on the commission percentage.

16. The server system of claim 13, further comprising an order placement component that retrieves from the data storage medium information for the identified product and that uses the retrieved information to place an order for the identified customer for the identified products;

and

an order fulfillment component that completes a purchase of the product in accordance with the order placed by the order placement component.

17. The server system of claim 13, wherein the receiver component is in communication via a public access communications network with a site displaying information for the product, and wherein the order is received via the public access network.

18. The server system of claim 13, wherein the receiver component is in communication via a public access communications network with a manufacturer-specific site displaying information for the product, where the manufacturer-specific site primarily displays only products of a single manufacturer, and wherein the order is received via the public access network.