Displaying values specified in a number of offers for a number of offer variables with respect to price

• US 8,396,767 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2003
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: JDA Software Group Incorporated (RedPrairie Holding Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tenorio, Manoel
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US10/428,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,603 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.29, 705/27, 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/37, 705/38, 705/39, 705/68, 705/80, 707/3, 707/5, 707/102, 707/711, 707/752, 701/1, 386/279, 1/1, 700/99, 434/178, 273/236
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method for displaying values specified in a number of offers for a number of offer variables with respect to price includes receiving data for multiple offers that reflects values specified in the offers for multiple offer variables and generating a display of the received data. The display includes multiple offer variable windows that are each associated with an offer variable. Each offer variable window includes an offer price axis representing a range of offer prices and an offer variable axis substantially perpendicular to the offer price axis that represents a range of values for the offer variable associated with the offer variable window. Each offer variable window includes multiple bars. Each bar represents a value specified in offer for the offer variable associated with the offer variable window and is positioned with respect to the offer price axis according to an offer price specified in the offers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a computer system coupled with a plurality of buyer computers and a plurality of seller computers, the computer system configured to;

receive a plurality of offers from one or more of the plurality of buyer computers and one or more of the plurality of seller computers, the plurality of offers representing values for a plurality of offer variables; and

generate a plurality of offer variable comparisons each associated with one of the plurality of offer variables, each one of the plurality of offer variable comparisons comprising;

an offer price data group comprising a range of offer prices for the plurality of offer variables;

an offer variable data group comprising an offer variable range associated with the offer variable comparison;

a plurality of bar data groups, each representing a value specified in one or more of the plurality of offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable comparison and corresponding with the offer price data group according to an offer price specified in one or more of the plurality of offers, wherein a size of the bar data group, with respect to the offer variable data group represents the value specified in one or more of the plurality of offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable comparison, each bar data group associated with a quantity indicator that indicated a quantity of items specified in one or more of the plurality of offers wherein at least one bar data group of the plurality of bar data groups corresponds with at least one bar group in one or more other offer variable comparisons; and

a marker in the offer price data group, wherein the marker determines a particular offer price and is linked with other markers within the other offer variable comparisons;

access a user request to identify a particular offer price, and in response automatically move the other markers within the offer variable comparisons to mark the particular offer price within the offer window variables;

generate one or more orders based on the received plurality of offers; and

communicate the generated order to a server couples with the computer system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of offers comprise asks only from approved sellers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of offer variables comprise one or more of a purity offer variable, a quantity offer variable, a packaging size offer variable, and a delivery date offer variable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

two or more offers specifying substantially equal offer prices specify substantially different values for an offer variable; and

two or more bar data group within an offer variable comparison associated with the offer variable represent the substantially different values specified in the two or more offers.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic marketplace.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a plurality of offers representing values for a plurality of offer variables; and

generating, by the computer system, a plurality of offer variable comparisons, each associated with one of the plurality of offer variables, each one of the plurality of offer variable comparisons comprising;

an offer price data group representing a range of offer prices;

an offer variable data group representing an offer variable range of values associated with the offer variable comparison;

a plurality of bar data groups, each representing a value specified in one or more of the plurality of offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable comparison and corresponding with an offer price data group specified in one or more of the plurality of offers, wherein a size of the bar data group, with respect to the offer variable, represents the value specified in one or more of the plurality of offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable comparison, each bar data group associated with a quantity indicator that indicated a quantity of items specified in one or more of the plurality of offers wherein at least one bar data group of the plurality of bar groups corresponds with at least one bar data group in one or more other offer variable comparisons; and

a marker in the offer price data group, wherein the marker determines a particular offer price and is linked with other markers within the other offer variable comparisons;

accessing, by the computer system, a user request to identify a particular offer price, and in response, automatically move the other markers within the offer variable comparisons to mark the particular offer price within the offer window variables;

generating, by the computer system, one or more orders based on the received plurality of offers; and

communicating, by the computer system, the generated order to a server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of offers comprise asks only from approved sellers.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of offer variables comprise one or more of a purity offer variable, a quantity offer variable, a packaging size offer variable, and a delivery date offer variable.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein:

two or more offers specifying substantially equal offer prices specify substantially different values for an offer variable; and

two or more bar data groups within an offer variable comparison associated with the offer variable represent the substantially different values specified in the two or more offers.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable media embodied with software that when executed using one or more computer systems is configured to:

receive a plurality of offers representing values for a plurality of offer variables; and

generate a plurality of offer variable comparisons, each associated with one of the plurality of offer variables, each one of the plurality of offer variable comparisons comprising;

an offer price data group representing a range of offer prices;

an offer variable data group representing an offer variable range of values associated with the offer variable comparison;

a plurality of bar data groups, each representing a value specified in one or more of the plurality of offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable comparison and corresponding with an offer price data group specified in one or more of the plurality of offers, wherein a size of the bar data group, with respect to the offer variable, represents the value specified in one or more of the plurality of offers for the offer variable associated with the offer variable comparison, each bar data group associated with a quantity indicator that indicates a quantity of items specified in one or more of the plurality of offers wherein at least one bar data group of the plurality of bar data groups corresponds with at least one bar data group in one or more other offer variable comparisons; and

a marker of the offer price data group, wherein the marker determines a particular offer price and is linked with other markers within the other offer variable comparisons;

access a user request to identify a particular offer price, and in response, automatically move the other markers within the offer variable comparisons to mark the particular offer price within the offer window variables;

generate one or more orders based on the received plurality of offers; and

communicate the generated order to a server.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the plurality of offers comprise asks only from approved sellers.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the plurality of offer variables comprise one or more of a purity offer variable, a quantity offer variable, a packaging size offer variable, and a delivery date offer variable.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein:

two or more offers specifying substantially equal offer prices specify substantially different values for an offer variable; and

two or more bar data groups within an offer variable comparison associated with the offer variable represent the substantially different values specified in the two or more offers.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the software is executed by one or more computer systems associated with an electronic marketplace.