Automatic book purchasing and consolidation method

• US 7,958,017 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nebraska Book Company Incorporated (Nebraska Book Holdings, Inc.), New Nebraska Book Company, Inc. (Nebraska Book Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nebraska Book Company Incorporated (Nebraska Book Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rempe, Nathan D., Major, Barry S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PALAVECINO, KATHLEEN GAGE
• Application Number:
  US12/132,354
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A system and method that includes several automatic purchasing features. The method includes establishing purchasing criteria for items to be purchased, and automatically searching marketplaces for availability of the items to be purchased. The method also includes identifying available items, of the items to be purchased, that meet the established purchasing criteria.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

automatically electronically receiving, by a computerized automatic item search and purchasing component, an order that comprises an item list that includes books generated by, and sent from, a computerized bookstore inventory control system, to the automatic item search and purchasing component, wherein each item on the list includes an item identifier and an item quantity;

establishing, by the automatic item search and purchasing component, purchasing criteria for the books on the item list;

searching, by a search module of the automatic item search and purchasing component, electronic marketplaces of sellers for available books of the books on the item list; and

identifying, by the search module, available books, of the books on the item list, that meet the established purchasing criteria;

wherein the purchasing criteria comprises;

an item offer quantity threshold which is utilized to exclude any seller that offers a quantity of an item on the item list that is larger than the item offer quantity threshold,

a feedback threshold which is utilized to exclude any seller that has a number of customer feedback entries that is larger than the feedback threshold, and

a blacklist keyword list which is utilized to exclude any seller that provides an offer for sale that has a term that corresponds to a term in the blacklist keyword list,

wherein identifying, by the search module, available books of the books on the item list further comprises conducting absolute edition matching and keyword edition identification.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising purchasing, by a purchasing module of the automatic item search and purchasing component, the available identified books on the item list from sellers in the electronic marketplaces other than the excluded sellers.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising electronically notifying, utilizing identification information for the bookstore and the item identifiers of the purchased books from the item list, the bookstore of acquisition of the purchased books and a respective purchase price of each of the purchased books.

4. The method of claim 3 and further comprising automatically providing the sellers in the marketplaces, from whom the available identified books were purchased, with an address of a consolidation location to which the purchased books should be shipped.

5. The method of claim 4 and further comprising receiving, by an item receiving and handling component, the purchased books at the consolidation location.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising shipping, from the consolidation location, the purchased books to the bookstore.

7. The method of claim 5 and further comprising maintaining historical information of the received purchased books and the corresponding sellers.

8. The method of claim 7 and further comprising utilizing the historical information to automatically refine the established purchasing criteria.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein utilizing the historical information to automatically refine the established purchasing criteria comprises utilizing the historical information to automatically classify the sellers and thereby produce seller classification information, and incorporating the seller classification information into the established purchasing criteria to produce the refined established purchasing criteria.

10. The method of claim 8 and further comprising, subsequent to receiving the purchased books at the consolidation location, automatically providing feedback information, regarding at least some of the sellers, to the corresponding marketplaces in which the at least some of the sellers operate.

11. The method of claim 1 and further comprising receiving bids, from the computerized bookstore inventory control system, for books on the item list.

12. The method of claim 11 and further comprising fulfilling requirements of the item list based on a comparison of bids received from the computerized bookstore inventory control system and competing bids by other buyers for books on the item list.

13. The method of claim 1 and further comprising automatically negotiating purchase prices of the available identified books.