Private collaborative planning in a many-to-many hub
First Claim
1. An apparatus for collaborative planning and supply chain management among multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners, includinga plurality of collaborator workstations, each said workstation including a processor;
- a plurality of trading partner workstations;
a hub disposed for exchange of information among said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, wherein said hub includes(1) a global database havingpublic information about a set of collaborators in a supply chain associated with said collaborator workstationsand public information about a set of trading partners in said supply chain associated with said trading partner workstations,(2) a set of individual supply chain automatons, the automatons including private databases having secure and separate information about said set of collaborator workstations and said set of trading partners associated with said trading partner workstations,(3) at least one portal that receives, integrates information included in messages, said information including at least a date or quantity, and delivers messages between said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, andintegrates differing software packages associated with said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations,said portal including a substantially global database; and
a communications network that couples said plurality of collaborator workstations, said plurality of trading partner workstations and said hub.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a method and system for collaborative planning among multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners, in which individual collaborators and individual trading partners can both make use of global information regarding parties using the system, while still being able to maintain secure and separate information regarding how those individual parties treat their counterparts. The system includes a many-to-many hub at which multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners can exchange information, the hub including a global database having public information about those multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners; the system also includes within the hub a set of private databases having secure and separate information for individual collaborators or individual trading partners.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for collaborative planning and supply chain management among multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners, including
a plurality of collaborator workstations, each said workstation including a processor; -
a plurality of trading partner workstations; a hub disposed for exchange of information among said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, wherein said hub includes (1) a global database having public information about a set of collaborators in a supply chain associated with said collaborator workstations and public information about a set of trading partners in said supply chain associated with said trading partner workstations, (2) a set of individual supply chain automatons, the automatons including private databases having secure and separate information about said set of collaborator workstations and said set of trading partners associated with said trading partner workstations, (3) at least one portal that receives, integrates information included in messages, said information including at least a date or quantity, and delivers messages between said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, and integrates differing software packages associated with said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, said portal including a substantially global database; and a communications network that couples said plurality of collaborator workstations, said plurality of trading partner workstations and said hub. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for collaborative planning among multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners in a supply chain, including steps of:
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operating a computing device including a processor to transmit information from a plurality of collaborators to a portal included in a hub, wherein said information is included in messages, said information including at least one of;
a date, a quantity, a buyer forecast, and said portal can integrate any one of a plurality of differing software packages associated with said collaborators;storing part of said information in at least one of a set of private databases included in an automaton and another part of said information in a public database; generating at least one message including information that is in the public database; transmitting said part of said information that is in the public database from said portal included in said hub to a plurality of trading partner workstations, each said workstation including a processor, wherein said portal can integrate any one of a plurality of differing software packages associated with said trading partner workstations; transmitting a reply from at least one trading partner workstation of the plurality of trading partner workstations to at least one collaborator workstation of a plurality of collaborator workstations associated with the plurality of collaborators by way of said hub, wherein said reply is responsive to said information; and storing a record of said reply in at least one private database of the set of private databases, said at least one private database being associated with at least one automaton. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification