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Multiply-integrated system for product inventory, sales, and distribution

  • US 7,363,249 B1
  • Filed: 06/04/2001
  • Issued: 04/22/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method for multiply-integrated product inventory, sales, and distribution, comprising the steps of:

  • under control of a programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically receiving product identifying information, product pricing information, and product inventory information from multiple participating product suppliers and entering the information into a supplier database, the supplier database being operatively linked to the programmed computer processor and including product identifying information, product inventory information, and product pricing information for the multiple independent participating product suppliers, wherein;

    the multiple independent participating product suppliers may include any of participating product manufacturers, participating product distributors, and participating product retailers,the multiple independent participating product suppliers include at least one participating product distributor and at least one participating product retailer,the multiple independent participating product suppliers include at least two participating product distributors or at least two participating product retailers, andthe multiple independent product suppliers offer products of a common product category;

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically receiving, from multiple participating product suppliers, order information pertaining to orders placed by multiple product purchasers with the multiple participating product suppliers;

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically entering the received order information into an order database, the order database being operatively linked to the programmed computer processor and including order information pertaining topending orders placed with multiple participating product suppliers by multiple independent product purchasers, wherein the multiple independent product purchasers may include any of participating product manufacturers, participating product distributors, participating product retailers, non-participating product manufacturers, non-participating product distributors, non-participating product retailers, and retail product purchasers, andfulfilled orders placed with multiple participating product suppliers by multiple product purchasers and fulfilled by the multiple participating product suppliers;

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically searching, for each order placed by each product purchaser, the supplier database to attempt to locate each ordered product listed in the placed order and available for delivery from a corresponding participating product supplier;

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically transmitting instructions for delivery, for each order placed by each product purchaser, of each ordered and located product to the product purchaser from the corresponding participating product supplier, thereby causing fulfillment of the order;

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically updating order information in the order database pertaining to each delivered product;

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically updating the product inventory information pertaining to each delivered product in the supplier database; and

    under control of the programmed computer processor, the programmed computer processor being programmed therefor, automatically creating and transmitting a financial accounting record for each delivered product,wherein;

    at least a portion of the delivery instructions for order fulfillment are transmitted to one participating product retailer in response to an order placed with another of the participating product retailers;

    orat least a portion of the delivery instructions for order fulfillment are transmitted to one participating product distributor in response to an order placed with or delivery instructions received by another of the participating product distributors.

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