System and method for calculating parameters for a commerce system

• US 7,359,872 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dunn, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEISBERGER, RICHARD C
• Application Number:
  US09/997,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: 705/20
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A method and system for processing a parameter for an item in an electronic order processing system is provided. The method has a first step of associating a calculation code with the item. The second step of the method is applying the calculation rule to the item to produce an amount. The third step of the method is providing the amount to an output device. Each operation within each of the first step, the second step and the third step may be modified and flow of execution amongst the first step, the second step and the third step remains the same.

Claims

1. A method for processing a parameter for an item in an electronic order processing system, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of calculation rules for calculating amounts for parameters of items;

associating one or more calculation rules from the plurality of calculation rules with a calculation code, wherein the one or more calculation rules are used to produce an amount for a parameter and wherein the calculation code has an associated qualifying method that is used to determine whether the calculation code is to be applied to the item;

associating the calculation code with an item;

responsive to initiating application of the calculation code to the item, using the qualifying method to determine whether to apply the calculation code to the item; and

responsive to a determination that the calculation code is to be applied to the item, using the one or more calculation rules to produce an amount for the parameter for the item; and

providing the amount to an output device.

2. A method for processing a parameter for an item as in claim 1, wherein the calculation rule may be modified and initiating application of the calculation code to the item remains the same.

3. A method for processing a parameter for an item as in claim 1, wherein said output device is one of (a) a printer, (b) a display device, (c) a storage medium, (d) a database and (e) a connection device.

4. A method for processing a parameter for an item as in claim 1, wherein the item is one of a plurality of items, the calculation code is one of a plurality of calculation codes associated with the item and the one or more calculation rules are selected from a plurality of calculation rules associated with the calculation code.

5. A method for processing a parameter for an item as in claim 1, wherein said associating said calculation code further comprises selectively associating said calculation code with said item.

6. A method for processing a parameter for an item as in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of calculation rules has an associated allowable calculation attribute that determines whether the calculation rule may be combined with other calculation rules.

7. A method for processing a parameter for an item as in claim 6, wherein the allowable calculation attribute has a value selected from the group consisting essentially of in combination with, not in combination with, and in addition to.