System and method for fulfillment services coordination

• US 8,688,540 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Ankit, Polsky, Joanne J M, Freeman, Kyle A., Kramer, Adam J., Walsh, Nancy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zukanovich, Brandy A
• Application Number:
  US12/037,707
• Time in Patent Office: 2,226 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.3, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Various embodiments of the system and method for managing sales and fulfillment services described herein may include a fulfillment coordination service. The fulfillment coordination service may be configured to receive a selection of one or more items of a merchant. The one or more items may be registered for fulfillment service with a fulfillment service provider. The fulfillment coordination service may also be configured to generate a sales listing for each selected item for listing with a sales listing provider. The fulfillment coordination service may in various embodiments receive an order indication for one or more of the selected items listed on the sales listing. The fulfillment coordination service may be configured to send a fulfillment request to the fulfillment service provider for the one or more items indicated by the order indication.

Claims

1. A computer-implement method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computers;

receiving, by a fulfillment coordination service, a selection of one or more items of a merchant, wherein the one or more items are registered for fulfillment service with a fulfillment service provider;

generating, by the fulfillment coordination service, a sales listing for each selected item;

sending each generated sales listing from the fulfillment coordination service to a sales listing provider, wherein the sales listing provider hosts each generated sales listing and is a different entity from the fulfillment service provider;

receiving, by the fulfillment coordination service, an order indication for one or more of the selected items listed on said sales listing; and

sending, by the fulfillment coordination service, a fulfillment request to the fulfillment service provider for the one or more items indicated by said order indication.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the fulfillment coordination service is a different entity from the sales listing provider, and

wherein receiving said order indication comprises communicating with the sales listing provider through an application programming interface to receive said order indication from said sales listing provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, by the fulfillment coordination service, the order indication from the sales listing provider, wherein said receiving the order indication occurs subsequent to said requesting the order indication from the sales listing provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving said order indication comprises receiving said indication from a payment service provider.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, in response to receiving said order indication, querying, by the fulfillment coordination service, said sales listing provider for additional information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said additional information comprises one or more of:

a quantity of said particular item, a shipping preference for shipping said particular item, and a delivery address to which the particular item is to be shipped.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said fulfillment request is generated from said additional information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating said sales listing comprises generating said sales listing from item description information indicating one or more characteristics of each selected item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said item description information specifies one or more of:

a price for each selected item, dimensions for each selected item, weights for each selected item, a text-based description for each selected item, and an image for each selected item.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said item description information comprises information from a database controlled by the fulfillment service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to said generating the sales listing, receiving, by the fulfillment coordination service, account information from a user,

wherein the account information is for accessing an account for the user with the sales listing provider, and

wherein the fulfillment coordination service is a different entity from the sales listing provider; and

creating said sales listing at the sales listing provider using the account information to access the sales listing provider.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the fulfillment request, initiating shipment of one or more items specified by the fulfillment request.

13. A system, comprising;

a memory storing program instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to said memory, wherein said program instructions are executable by at least one of said one or more processors to implement a fulfillment coordination service configured to;

receive a selection of one or more items of a merchant, wherein the one or more items are registered for fulfillment service with a fulfillment service provider;

generate a sales listing for each selected item;

send each generated sales listing from the fulfillment coordination service to a sales listing provider, wherein the sales listing provider hosts each generated sales listing and is a different entity from the fulfillment service provider;

receive an order indication for one or more of the selected items listed on said sales listing; and

send a fulfillment request to the fulfillment service provider for the one or more items indicated by said order indication.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein to receive said order indication the fulfillment coordination service is configured to receive said order indication from said sales listing provider.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

requesting the order indication from the sales listing provider,

wherein the fulfillment coordination service is configured to receive said order indication subsequent to said requesting the order indication from the sales listing provider.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein to receive said order indication the fulfillment coordination service is configured to receive said indication from a payment service provider.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the fulfillment coordination service is further configured to, in response to receiving said order indication, query said sales listing provider for additional information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said additional information comprises one or more of:

a quantity of said particular item, a shipping preference for shipping said particular item, and a delivery address to which the particular item is to be shipped.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said fulfillment request is generated from said additional information.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein to generate said sales listing the fulfillment coordination service is configured to generate said sales listing from item description information indicating one or more characteristics of each selected item.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said item description information specifies one or more of:

a price for each selected item, dimensions for each selected item, weights for each selected item, a text-based description for each selected item, and an image for each selected item.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein said item description information comprises information from a database controlled by the fulfillment service provider.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein to generate said sales listing the fulfillment coordination service is configured to generate an auction-based sales listing configured to receive bids for at least one the selected items.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions configured to implement a fulfillment coordination service configured to:

receive a selection of one or more items of a merchant, wherein the one or more items are registered for fulfillment service with a fulfillment service provider;

generate a sales listing for each selected item;

send each generated sales listing from the fulfillment coordination service to a sales listing provider, wherein the sales listing provider hosts each generated sales listing and is a different entity from the fulfillment service provider;

receive an order indication for one or more of the selected items listed on said sales listing; and

send a fulfillment request to the fulfillment service provider for the one or more items indicated by said order indication.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein to receive said order indication the fulfillment coordination service is configured to receive said order indication from said sales listing provider.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising:

requesting the order indication from the sales listing provider,

wherein the fulfillment coordination service is configured to receive said order indication subsequent to said requesting the order indication from the sales listing provider.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein to receive said order indication the fulfillment coordination service is configured to receive said indication from a payment service provider.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the fulfillment coordination service is further configured to, in response to receiving said order indication, query said sales listing provider for additional information.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein said additional information comprises one or more of:

a quantity of said particular item, a shipping preference for shipping said particular item, and a delivery address to which the particular item is to be shipped.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein said fulfillment request is generated from said additional information.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein to generate said sales listing the fulfillment coordination service is configured to generate said sales listing from item description information indicating one or more characteristics of each selected item.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein said item description information specifies one or more of:

a price for each selected item, dimensions for each selected item, weights for each selected item, a text-based description for each selected item, and an image for each selected item.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein said item description information comprises information from a database controlled by the fulfillment service provider.