Method and system for manipulation of cost information in a distributed virtual enterprise

• US 8,671,024 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Kumhyr, David B., MacPhail, Margaret G., Hassinger, Sebastian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US11/763,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/26.1, 705/301
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product for processing e-commerce information are presented. A business entity may transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace. The business entity retrieves dependency information about a commercial transaction from an e-commerce agreement. The business entity incorporates the dependency information, e.g., dates, costs, deliveries, etc., as dependency relationships within a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the first business entity. User input is received for manipulating a cost dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for processing e-commerce information in a distributed virtual enterprise (DVE) by a business entity and within the business entity, the method comprising:

based on an internal user'"'"'s command, a processor interacting with a software application retrieves from memory a DVE project model that represents an object-oriented project model for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the DVE project model comprises one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects that specify one or more dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements, stored in the memory, such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the DVE project model with respect to specific parameters;

the software application receiving via the processor a first user input to modify a cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model, wherein the cost dependency relationship is presented as a DVE object;

the software application manipulating via the processor the cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model based on the received first user input and the one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects, while constraining the first user input to ensure that the first user input is consistent with e-commerce agreements to which the business entity has committed itself to;

the software application determining via the processor that the first user input is incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

responsive to the determination that the first user input is incompatible, the software application receiving via the processor a second user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the first user input into the DVE project model for modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the software application modifying via the processor a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

the software application automatically generating via the processor a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the software application receiving via the processor a third user input that places a lock on a cost associated with a particular DVE object so that it cannot be changed.

6. An apparatus for processing e-commerce information in a distributed virtual enterprise (DVE) by a business entity and within the business entity, the apparatus comprising a processor, a data bus coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled to the processor through the data bus for storing computer readable code to be processed by the processor for:

responsive to an internal user'"'"'s command retrieving a DVE project model that represents an object-oriented project model for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the DVE project model comprises one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects that specify one or more dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements, stored in the memory, such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the DVE project model with respect to specific parameters;

receiving a first user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model wherein the cost dependency relationship is presented as a DVE object;

manipulating the cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model based on the received first user input and the one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects while constraining the first user input to ensure that the first user input is consistent with e-commerce agreements to which the business entity has committed itself to;

determining that the first user input is incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

responsive to the determination that the first user input is incompatible, receiving a second user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the first user input into the DVE project model for modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer readable code to be processed by the processor for:

modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising computer readable code to be processed by the processor for:

automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising computer readable code to be processed by the processor for:

transferring an e-commerce agreement through an electronic marketplace between the business entity and the trading partner.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer readable code to be processed by the processor for:

receiving a third user input that places a lock on a cost associated with a particular DVE object so that it cannot be changed.

11. A computer program product comprising executable instructions in a tangible computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing e-commerce information in a distributed virtual enterprise (DVE) by a business entity and within the business entity, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs a method comprising:

responsive to an internal user'"'"'s command, retrieving from memory a DVE project model that represents an object-oriented project model for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the DVE project model comprises one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects that specify one or more dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements, stored in the memory, such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the DVE project model with respect to specific parameters;

receiving a first user input to manipulate a cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model, wherein the cost dependency relationship is presented as a DVE object;

manipulating the cost dependency relationship within the DVE project model based on the received first user input and the one or more DVE processes linked to one or more DVE objects while constraining the first user input to ensure that the first user input is consistent with e-commerce agreements to which the business entity has committed itself to;

determining that the first user input is incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and

responsive to the determination that the first user input is incompatible, receiving a second user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the first user input into the DVE project model for modifications to the cost dependency relationship.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises:

modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the cost dependency relationship was previously derived.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the method further comprises:

automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises transferring e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace between the business entity and the trading partner.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a third user input that places a lock on a cost associated with a particular DVE object so that it cannot be changed.