System and method for interactive offer system

• US 7,702,560 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Morrison, William James, Rzepka, Jacob Marvin, Wiesehuegel, Leland James, Roberts, Rebecca Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton; Lalita M
• Application Number:
  US09/714,726
• Time in Patent Office: 3,442 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A networked computer arrangement and method for preparing entitled offerings to prospective brokers, buyers and bidders, by establishing an entitlement schema in an offering and bid collection computer system based on a contractual arrangement between the brokers, traders, and offeror; preparing an entitled offering through filtering the a master list according to the broker schema to include only information for items to which each broker is allowed to purchase: and, subsequently. but prior to receiving any bids, presenting via a user interface the entitled offerings to the prospective brokers such that each broker may review entitled offerings containing information regarding items being offered for sale on which the broker is entitled to bid, but are not allowed to view information regarding items to which each broker is not entitled to purchase.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for preparing and presenting entitled offerings to prospective brokers, the prospective brokers including buyers and bidders, and for collecting bids from the prospective buyers, bidders and brokers in response to the offerings, the method comprising:

establishing one or more broker entitlement schema in an offering and bid collection computer system, the broker entitlement schema being based on a contractual arrangement between one or more brokers, one or more traders, and manufacturer or service provider;

each broker entitlement schema containing one or more entitlement definitions indicating contractually allowable items which may be offered for sale to each broker by the trader;

transmitting by the offering and bid collection computer system a first list of available items offered for sale by the manufacturer or service provider from the manufacturer or service supplier to a trader;

preparing by the offering and bid collection computer system one or more entitled offerings through filtering the first list of available items according to the broker entitlement schema such that the prepared entitled offerings include only information for one or more items to which each broker is allowed to purchase as defined by each broker'"'"'s associated broker entitlement schema; and

subsequent to the preparation of entitled offerings but prior to receiving any bids to purchase any offered items, presenting via a user interface of a computer network terminal or of a computer console the entitled offerings to one or more prospective brokers such that each broker may review entitled offerings containing information regarding items being offered for sale on which the broker is entitled to bid, but are not allowed to view information regarding items to which each broker is not entitled to purchase.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the providing of a broker entitlement profile with entitlement definitions comprises providing an item category parameter within the entitlement definitions.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the preparing of one or more entitled offerings comprises removing items from the available items list which are unmatched by a category parameter within a broker entitlement definition to produce a minimized list of items for which a broker is entitled to receive offerings.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the providing of a broker entitlement profile with entitlement definitions comprises providing a broker location parameter within the entitlement definitions.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the preparing of one or more entitled offers comprises removing items from the available items list which are unmatched by a broker location parameter within a broker entitlement definition to produce a minimized list of items for which a broker is entitled to receive offerings.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the presenting of via a computer user interface the entitled offerings to one or more brokers comprises presenting the entitled offerings via a web browser user interface.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the receiving of one or more bids from the prospective brokers via a computer network subsequent to the presenting the entitled offerings to the brokers.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of receiving one or more bids comprises receiving bids via a computer network from a web browser system.

9. A computer-readable storage memory for preparing and presenting entitled offerings to prospective brokers, the prospective brokers including buyers and bidders, and for collecting bids from the prospective buyers and brokers in response to the entitled offerings in a computer network server, comprising:

a computer-readable storage memory suitable for encoding computer program code; and

one or more computer programs encoded by the computer-readable medium, when executed causing a computer network server to;

transmit from a manufacturer or service provider to a trader a first list of items available for purchase from the manufacturer or service provider;

access at least one broker entitlement schema in a computer-readable record for one or more brokers, each broker entitlement schema containing one or more entitlement definitions indicating allowable items for which a broker may receive offers for items to purchase from the manufacturer or service provider according to a contractual agreement;

prepare one or more entitled offerings through filtering the first list of items against the broker entitlement schema such that each resulting entitled offering only includes items for which each broker is allowed to receive offers to purchase, and excludes information regarding items to which each broker is not entitled to purchase, as defined by the prospective broker'"'"'s entitlement definitions; and

subsequent to the preparing entitled offers but prior to receipt of any bids from the brokers to purchase the available items, present via a computer user interface the entitled offerings to one or more brokers such that each broker may review lists containing only items available for purchase from the manufacturer or services on which the broker is entitled to bid.

10. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 9 wherein the program code which accesses a broker entitlement schema with entitlement definitions comprises computer program code which, when executed by a processor, provides an item category parameter within the entitlement definitions.

11. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 10 wherein the program code which prepares one or more entitled offerings comprises program code which, when executed by a processor, removes items from the first items list which are unmatched by a category parameter within a broker entitlement definition to produce a minimized list of items for which a broker is entitled to receive offerings.

12. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 9 wherein the program code which accesses a broker profile with entitlement definitions comprises program code which, when executed by a processor, provides a broker location parameter within the entitlement definitions.

13. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 12 wherein the program code which prepares one or more entitled offerings comprises program code which, when executed by a processor, removes items from the first items list which are unmatched by a broker location parameter within a broker entitlement definition to produce a minimized list of items for which a broker is entitled to receive offerings.

14. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 9 wherein the program code which presents via a computer user interface the entitled offerings to one or more brokers comprises program code which, when executed by a processor, presents the entitled offerings via a web browser user interface.

15. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 9 further comprising program code which receives one or more bids from the prospective brokers via a computer network subsequent to the presenting of the entitled offerings.

16. The computer-readable storage memory as set forth in claim 15 wherein the program code which receives one or more bids comprises program code which, when executed by a processor, receives bids via a computer network from a web browser system.

17. An offering system in a computer network for preparing and presenting entitled offerings to brokers, buyers and bidders, hereinafter collectively referred to as “

brokers”

, the computer network enabling communications between the offering system and broker consoles, the offering system comprising;

a database disposed in a computer system containing one or more broker entitlement schema each broker entitlement schema containing entitlement definitions according to a contractual relations between a manufacturer or service provider and a broker regarding items to which the broker is entitled to receive offers for purchase, the database accessible and queriable by network application servers;

an entitled offering preparation server computing system preparing entitled offerings through filtering lists of available items against broker entitlement definitions to produce entitled offerings including only items to which a broker is entitled to bid and excluding items to which a broker is not entitled to bid, and for storing entitled sales offerings in the database; and

a network application server computing system providing the entitled offerings to broker console computers, the providing of entitled offerings being performed subsequent to preparation of the entitled offerings but prior to receipt of a bid from the broker.

18. The offering system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the network application server is an Internet server.

19. The offering system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the network application server is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server.

20. The offering system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the network application server is a secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) server.

21. The offering system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the network application server is adapted for communications with broker console computers which are web browser devices.

22. The offering system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the entitled sales offering preparation server is adapted to filter lists of available items by broker entitlement definitions including a broker location parameter.

23. The offering system as set forth in claim 17 wherein the entitled sales offering preparation server is adapted to filter lists of available items by broker entitlement definitions including an item category parameter.