Data processing system intended to facilitate confronting an offer and a demand

• US 7,359,862 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eric Elgrably
• Original Assignee: Electronic Mobile and Geographic BV
• Inventors: Elgrably, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): PLUCINSKI, JAMISUE A
• Application Number:
  US10/415,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,351 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A data processing system (X) is adapted to confront an offer (O) and a demand (D), in particular in the field of transportation of travelers or goods. The system (X) receives requests corresponding to new offers/demands, formulated by users (C_X) of the data processing system and data corresponding to offers/demands not yet satisfied from a plurality of secondary data processing servers (A, B, C, E) themselves adapted to confront an offer and a demand. After receiving a request corresponding to a new offer/demand formulated by a user (C_X) of the data processing system (X), the system (X) verifies if there is an offer/demand (O_A, D_A, O_B, D_B, O_C, O_B, D_B) not yet satisfied, received from a secondary data processing server (A, B, C, E) or transmitted previously by a user of the data processing system, that can respond to the request. If not, the system (X) stores the request in the data processing system and/or sends data corresponding to the new request to at least one of the secondary data processing servers (A, B, C, E) to enable confrontation with an offer/demand responding to the new request received subsequently by the secondary data processing server (A, B, C, E).

Claims

1. A data processing system adapted to confront offers and demands for matching an offer to a demand, said data processing system being configured to:

receive and store new requests corresponding to one of new offers and new demands, wherein the new requests are formulated by users of the data processing system;

receive and store data corresponding to one of pending offers and pending demands from a plurality of secondary data processing servers, wherein the secondary data processing servers are each adapted to confront offers and demands to match an offer to a demand; and

after receiving a new request corresponding to one of a new offer and a new demand formulated by a user of the data processing system, determine whether the new request matches one of the pending offers and the pending demands that originated from one of the secondary data processing servers or one of the users of the data processing system,

wherein if no match is determined, the data processing system is further configured to perform at least one of;

storing the new request in the data processing system; and

sending data corresponding to the new request to at least one of the secondary data processing servers to enable confrontation of the new request with one of a subsequent offer and a subsequent demand subsequently received by the secondary data processing server to match the new request with one of the subsequent offer and the subsequent demand.

2. A data processing system according to claim 1, said data processing system being configured to:

exchange data with at least two secondary data processing servers using different communication protocols.

3. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the secondary data processing servers is adapted to not respond to a request corresponding to one of an offer and a demand before receiving identification information of the user originating the request.

4. A data processing system according to claim 1, said data processing system being adapted to automatically update all offers and demands stored by the data processing system for confronting the new request, updating being effected at sufficiently short time intervals for the user of the data processing system to have access to recent offers or demands sent to the secondary data processing servers by the users of the secondary data processing servers.

5. A data processing system according to claim 1, said data processing being adapted to automatically update the offers and the demands stored by the data processing system for confronting the new request to verify whether the new request matches one of an offer and a demand originating from a user of the data processing system.

6. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein, for a predetermined user of the data processing system who is a subscriber to only a subset of the secondary data processing servers sending data to the data processing system, in the event of a request formulated by the predetermined user which the data processing system has been unable to satisfy, the data processing system transmits the request that has not been satisfied to only the subset of the secondary data processing servers, to enable that request to be confronted with one of the subsequent offer and the subsequent demand received by the subset of the the secondary data processing servers.

7. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data processing system is adapted to effect a selection from multiple offers or demands corresponding to the same request in accordance with predetermined criteria.

8. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data processing system is adapted to enable a user unknown to a secondary data processing server to communicate to the data processing system identification information required by that secondary data processing server with a view to subscribe to the secondary data processing server.

9. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein a request corresponding to an one of an offer and a demand includes space and time data.

10. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data processing system includes a sending device for sending a response to a user who has formulated a request by electronic mail or facsimile or as a voice message.

11. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein it includes a receiving system for receiving location information concerning the geographical location of the user of the data processing system and/or that of the travelers, goods or services concerned, in order to communicate to a user who has formulated a request including space data that one of an offer and a demand which satisfies the request is located near the user or on their route.

12. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the new requests each comprises data relating to transport of at least one of travelers and goods.

13. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein each offer or demand received by the data processing system from one of the secondary data processing servers is assigned an index including at least the identity of the secondary data processing server originating the offer or demand.

14. A data processing system according to claim 13, wherein the index further includes information on the frequency with which the offer or the demand has been consulted.

15. A data processing system according to claim 13, wherein the index further includes information on how long the offer or the demand has been processed by the data processing system.

16. A data processing system according to claim 13, wherein the data processing system is adapted to cease presenting of an offer and demand to the users of the data processing system when a predetermined variable of the index wherein exceeds a predetermined value, wherein the index is incremented on each consultation.

17. A method of facilitating confronting offers and demands for matching an offer to a demand, comprising:

receiving and storing requests corresponding to one of new offers and new demands, wherein the requests are formulated by users of the data processing system;

receiving and storing data corresponding to one of pending offers and pending demands from a plurality of secondary data processing servers, wherein the secondary data processing servers are each adapted to confront an offer and a demand; and

after receiving a new request corresponding to one of a new offer and demand formulated by a user of the data processing system, determining whether the new request matches one of a pending offer and a pending demand stored in the data processing server and received from a secondary data processing server or transmitted previously by the user of the data processing system,

wherein if no match is determined, the method of further comprises at least one of;

storing the new request in the data processing system; and

sending data corresponding to the new request to at least one of the secondary data processing servers to enable confrontation of the new request with one of a subsequent offer and a subsequent demand subsequently received by the secondary data processing server to match the new request with one of the subsequent offer and the subsequent demand.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the offer is an offer to transport freight or travelers and the demand is a demand for transporting freight or travelers, the components of the offer or of the demand including at least the departure point and the arrival point of the goods or travelers to be transported and the date they are to be transported.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

communicating in real time to the data processing system information concerning the location of the users or the goods or services concerned.

20. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

automatically sending to the data processing system from a transportation means equipped with terminals for sending information concerning the location and the load of the transportation means, wherein the transportation means includes one of a terrestrial means and an airborne transportation means.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the location information is analyzed by the data processing system based on the demands or the offers formulated by the users of the data processing system, wherein information is sent to the transportation means to report transport demands or transport offers to the transportation means if the transportation means are near the goods or travelers to be transported and able to transport them.