Method of distributing

• US 7,827,066 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Briggs, Jeffrey L., Mason, Anne L., Guy, Tami L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/965,405
• Time in Patent Office: 3,324 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/28, 705/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A method for a first organization to do business including entering into a contractual relationship with a second organization to deliver products and services to a customer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a first organization to do business comprising:

entering, by a computer system, into a contractual relationship with a second organization;

authorizing, by said computer system, said second organization to take an order from a customer, said order comprising at least one of;

products not produced by said first organization, and services not provided by said first organization;

receiving, by said computer system, payment directly from said customer as a payment for said order taken by said second organization;

requiring, by said computer system, an organization other than said first organization to ship products not produced by said first organization to said customer;

requiring, by said computer system, an organization other than said first organization to provide services to said customer;

determining, by said computer system, a billing strategy based upon whether or not the services ordered may be completed in less than a predetermined period of time;

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered may not be completed in less than the predetermined period of time and further comprising determining, by said computer system, whether the services ordered are essential to the use of hardware included on the order; and

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered are not essential to the use of hardware included on the order and further comprising invoicing the hardware portion of the order prior to completion of the services ordered.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 and further comprising:

requiring said second organization to provide a second organization service to a customer.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 and further comprising:

requiring a third organization to provide a third organization service to said customer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 and further comprising:

verifying that said third organization service was performed by said third organization.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 and further comprising:

requiring a third organization to ship a third organization product to said customer.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein said requiring a third organization to ship comprises requiring said third organization to ship said third organization product from a facility not controlled by said first organization.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 and further comprising:

verifying that said third organization product was received by said customer.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 and further comprising:

paying said third organization for said third organization product.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 and further comprising:

tracking said paying said third organization by computer.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 and further comprising:

tracking receipt of said payment by computer.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 and further comprising:

paying said second organization a predetermined amount based on said order.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 and further comprising:

tracking said paying said second organization by computer.

13. A computer-implemented method for a first organization to do business comprising:

requiring, by a computer system, a second organization to take an order for sales items on behalf of the first organization;

in response to a determination, by said computer system, that the order includes a product distributed by a third organization sending an order for that product to the third organization;

requiring, by said computer system, the third organization to ship the product directly to a customer'"'"'s address;

requiring, by said computer system, the third organization to notify the second organization when the product has been shipped;

wherein the product shipped by the third organization is less than all items distributed by the third organization that were on the order;

requiring, by said computer system, the third organization to notify the second organization when the order is incomplete and when the backlog for items on the order that were not shipped is longer than a predetermined number of days;

determining, by said computer system, a billing strategy based upon whether or not the services ordered may be completed in less than a predetermined period of time;

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered may not be completed in less than the predetermined period of time and further comprising determining, by said computer system, whether the services ordered are essential to the use of hardware included on the order; and

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered are not essential to the use of hardware included on the order and further comprising invoicing the hardware portion of the order prior to completion of the services ordered.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:

invoicing the customer after the third organization notifies the second organization that the product has been shipped.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:

requiring the second organization to notify the first organization when the order is incomplete and when the backlog for items on the order that were not shipped is longer than a predetermined number of days.

16. A computer-implemented method for a first organization to do business comprising:

requiring, by a computer system, a second organization to take an order for sales items on behalf of the first organization;

in response to a determination, by said computer system, that the order includes a product distributed by a third organization sending an order for that product to the third organization;

requiring, by said computer system, the third organization to notify the first organization when the order exceeds a predetermined credit limit of the second organization;

determining, by said computer system, a billing strategy based upon whether or not the services ordered may be completed in less than a predetermined period of time;

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered may not be completed in less than the predetermined period of time and further comprising determining, by said computer system, whether the services ordered are essential to the use of hardware included on the order; and

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered are not essential to the use of hardware included on the order and further comprising invoicing the hardware portion of the order prior to completion of the services ordered.

17. A computer-implemented method for a first organization to do business comprising:

in response to a determination, by a computer system, that services in a service order taken by a second organization on behalf of the first organization is incomplete determining whether the service order includes support services;

determining, by said computer system, a billing strategy based upon whether or not the service order includes support services;

in response to a determination, by said computer system, that the service order does not include support services determining whether the services ordered may be completed in less than a predetermined period of time;

determining, by said computer system, a billing strategy based upon whether or not the services ordered may be completed in less than a predetermined period of time;

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered may not be completed in less than the predetermined period of time and further comprising determining, by said computer system, whether the services ordered are essential to the use of hardware included on the order; and

wherein it is determined, by said computer system, that the services ordered are not essential to the use of hardware included on the order and further comprising invoicing the hardware portion of the order prior to completion of the services ordered.