Iterative constraint collection scheme for preparation of custom manufacturing contracts

• US 7,587,336 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1999
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electronics For Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronics For Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Battles, Brett E., Wallgren, Anders R., Cleary, Elizabeth A., Kothari, Pravin S., Nelson, Philip C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US09/328,983
• Time in Patent Office: 3,744 Days
• Field of Search: 705/80, 705/26, 705/1, 705/37, 705/27, 235/381, 703/1, 703/6, 715/506, 345/733, 709/107, 709/202, 709/203, 709/219, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A series of iterative customer submissions and vendor responses are used to collect sufficient information concerning a custom manufacturing project so as to produce a sufficiently constrained job request as to allow at least one of the vendors to submit a quote for the project. The submissions and responses are preferably made through Web forms and, in one example, the custom manufacturing project is a print job. The collection process is preferably computer assisted so as to incrementally add constraints to an initially under-constrained job request to produce the sufficiently constrained job request.

Claims

1. A computer-based contracting method comprising:

receiving a user-supplied set of constraints regarding a print job project;

storing the set of constraints in a database as an object;

creating a plurality of instances of the object, each instance uniquely associated with a corresponding vendor;

communicating each instance of the object to its corresponding associated vendor;

receiving communications from the user and the vendors to iteratively modify the instances of the object, the modifications further constraining the print job project;

selectively displaying to the user the modified instances of the object individually or collectively; and

receiving a selection from the user of one of the vendors to complete the print job project.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set comprises a text description of the print job project.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set comprises a list of vendors to whom the instances of the object should be communicated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set comprises a due date for the print job project.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifications comprise vendor-specified options for completing the print job project.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the vendor-specified options comprise start times or dates.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the vendor-specified options comprise media options.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the vendor-specified options comprise pricing options.

9. A system for facilitating the formation of a contract for completing a print job project, the system comprising:

a user interface adapted to receive a user-supplied set of constraints regarding the print job project;

a database comprising a plurality of objects, each object comprising the set of user-supplied constraints, each object uniquely associated with a corresponding vendor;

a plurality of vendor interfaces, each vendor interface uniquely associated with a corresponding vendor and adapted to communicate each associated object to its corresponding vendor; and

a web server adapted to (a) transmit communications between the user and the vendors to iteratively modify the objects, the modifications further constraining the print job project, (b) selectively display to the user the modified instances of the objects individually or collectively; and

(c) receive a selection from the user of one of the vendors to complete the print job project.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the set comprises a text description of the print job project.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the set comprises a list of vendors to whom the objects should be communicated.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the set comprises a due date for the print job project.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the modifications comprise vendor-specified options for completing the print job project.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the vendor-specified options comprise start times or dates.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the vendor-specified options comprise media options.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the vendor-specified options comprise pricing options.