System and method for purchase order management

• US 7,881,987 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Hart, Matt E., Holladay, Walter M., Hunter, Jason A., Fisse, Catherine, Campbell, Jeffery D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US11/447,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/26, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A purchasing user interface system may include a user interface configured to display various types of inventory, order and purchasing information. The user interface may display item, inventory, order, sales and/or vendor information regarding particular items, or all items, in a current inventory. The user interface may allow user to customize the manner in which the information is displayed. The system may also aid the user in making purchase orders, such as by allowing the user to select items to order as well as the quantities to order and the vendors from which to order the selected items. The system may also allow the user to generate purchase order based on the selected items, amounts and vendors. The purchasing user interface system may allow a user to display, sort, filter, update and otherwise manipulate various inventory, sales, order and vendor information to aid in making meaningful inventory ordering decisions.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to implement a purchasing tool configured to provide a purchasing user interface, wherein the purchasing user interface is configured to;

receive inventory information, vendor information, and sales information;

display, to a plurality of users, inventory information associated with an item of a current inventory of items;

display, to the plurality of users, vendor information associated with a first vendor of a plurality of vendors that supplies the item;

display, to the plurality of users, sales information associated with the item, wherein the sales information comprises historical sales and projected sales information;

receive, based on the sales information, a first input from a first user of the plurality of users selecting the item and ordering a first amount of the item from the first vendor;

receive updated projected sales information from a second user of the plurality of users;

display, to the plurality of users, updated sales information associated with the item, wherein the updated sales information comprises the updated projected sales information; and

receive, in response to displaying the updated sales information, a second input from a third user of the plurality of users selecting the item, wherein the second input modifies the first amount to generate a second amount of the item to order from the first vendor,

wherein the purchasing tool is configured to generate one or more purchase orders for ordering the second amount of the item from the first vendor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to:

receive the second input specifying a second vendor of the plurality of vendors from which to order the item, and wherein the purchasing tool is configured to generate the one or more purchase orders for ordering the second amount of the item from the second vendor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to:

display current sales information associated with the current inventory of items.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to:

display sales history information associated with the current inventory of items.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to:

display projected sales growth information associated with the current inventory of items.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory information comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of on hand amounts, on order amounts, sold amounts, available amounts, reorder point, target inventory amount, and pending build amounts associated with the current inventory of items.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vendor information comprises vendor status information associated with each of the plurality of vendors, wherein the vendor status information indicates a vendor status of one selected from a group consisting of preferred, non-preferred, and normal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to:

receive user input selecting particular types of inventory, vendor, and sales information to display regarding the current inventory of items.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing tool is further configured to:

receive vendor pricing information regarding the item from one or more remote vendor systems,

wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to display the vendor pricing information regarding the item.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the purchasing tool is further configured to receive the vendor pricing information over the Internet.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing tool is further configured to print the one or more purchase orders.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing tool is further configured to generate the one or more purchase orders electronically.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to display a total cost corresponding to a combined cost for the one or more purchase orders.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to display the vendor information in a separate popup display.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the vendor information comprises vendor lead times regarding the item.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, comprising program instructions configured to implement a purchasing tool configured to provide a purchasing user interface, wherein the purchasing user interface is configured to implement:

receiving inventory information, vendor information, and sales information;

displaying, to a plurality of users, inventory information associated with an item of a current inventory of items;

displaying, to the plurality of users, vendor information associated with a first vendor of a plurality of vendors that supply the item;

displaying, to the plurality of users, sales information associated with the item, wherein the sales information comprises historical sales and projected sales information;

receiving, based on the sales information, a first input from a first user of the plurality of users selecting the item and ordering a first amount of the item from the first vendor;

receiving updated projected sales information from a second user of the plurality of users;

displaying, to the plurality of users, updated sales information associated with the item, wherein the updated sales information comprises the updated projected sales information; and

receiving, in response to displaying the updated sales information, a second input from a third user of the plurality of users selecting the item, wherein the second input modifies the first amount to generate a second amount of the item to order from the first vendor,

wherein the purchasing tool is configured to implement generating one or more purchase orders for ordering the second amount of the item from the first vendor.

17. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to implement receiving a third input specifying a second vendor from the plurality of vendors from which to order the item, wherein the purchasing tool is further configured to implement generating the one or more purchase orders for ordering the second amount of the item from the second vendor.

18. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to implement receiving user input selecting particular types of inventory, vendor and sales information to display regarding the current inventory of items.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the purchasing tool is further configured to implement receiving vendor pricing information regarding one or more of items of the current inventory of items from one or more remote vendor systems.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the purchasing user interface is further configured to implement displaying the vendor information in a separate popup display.

21. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the vendor information comprises vendor lead times regarding the item.

22. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving inventory information, vendor information, and sales information;

displaying, to a plurality of users, inventory information associated with an item of a current inventory of items;

displaying, to the plurality of users, vendor information associated with a first vendor of a plurality of vendors that supplies the item;

displaying, to the plurality of users, sales information associated with the item, wherein the sales information comprises historical sales and projected sales information;

receiving, based on the sales information, a first input from a first user of the plurality of users selecting the item and ordering a first amount of the item from the first vendor;

receiving updated projected sales information from a second user of the plurality of users;

displaying, to the plurality of users, updated sales information associated with the item, wherein the updated sales information comprises the updated projected sales information;

receiving, in response to displaying the updated sales information, a second input from a third user of the plurality of users selecting the item, wherein the second input modifies the first amount to generate a second amount of the item to order from the first vendor; and

generating one or more purchase orders for ordering the second amount of the item from the first vendor,

wherein said displaying user inventory information, said displaying vendor information, and said receiving the first and second input are performed on a purchasing user interface of a purchasing tool.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving the second input specifying a second vendor from which to order the item; and

generating the one or more purchase orders for ordering the second amount of the item from the second vendor.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving user input selecting particular types of inventory, vendor and sales information to display regarding the current inventory of items.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving vendor pricing information regarding the item from one or more remote vendor systems.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

displaying the vendor information in a separate popup display.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the vendor information comprises vendor lead times regarding the item.