System for optimization of business transactions between a selling vendor and a shipping vendor

• US 8,694,389 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Formula Labs, LLC
• Original Assignee: Formula Labs, LLC
• Inventors: Rosca, Andrei, Chowdhary, Manish
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, William
• Application Number:
  US13/835,160
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272, 705/28, 705330-342
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0834 Choice of carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A method is disclosed for optimizing a business transaction between a selling vendor and a shipping vendor. The method includes receiving a query from a selling vendor. The query includes customer order data. The method also includes identifying at least one possible shipping vendor based on the customer order data and determining shipping information for each of the at least one possible shipping vendors. The method further includes selecting a preferred shipping vendor from among the at least one possible shipping vendors and completing the transaction between the selling vendor and the shipping vendor.

Claims

1. A computer system associated with a selling vendor comprising:

one or more computers having one or more processors operatively connected to one or more computer readable storage media, the one or more computer readable storage media storing thereon computer instructions for carrying out the steps of;

(a) receiving, at the one or more computers, a customer order request from a customer device;

(b) sending, from the one or more computers to a transaction optimization and coordination system, a query including customer order data associated with the customer order request;

(c) in response to a determination by the transaction optimization and coordination system that the customer order can be fulfilled such that at least one shipping vendor can arrange for a customer to obtain one or more products of the customer order;

1) receiving, at the one or more computers from the transaction optimization and coordination system, an indication that the customer order can be fulfilled by at least one shipping vendor;

2) receiving, from the transaction optimization and coordination system at the one or more computers, one or more fulfillment options including shipping vendors chosen by the transaction optimization and coordination system based at least on the customer order data,

wherein each of the chosen shipping vendors are identified as possessing a physical inventory including at least one product described by the customer order data, and wherein the shipping vendors are chosen according at least in part by rankings determined by the transaction optimization and coordination system;

(d) sending, from the one or more computers to the transaction optimization and coordination system, a selection of one of the fulfillment options including at least one of the chosen shipping vendors;

(e) receiving, at the one or more computers, payment information for the customer order; and

(f) transmitting, payment information from the one or more computers to the transaction optimization and coordination system,

wherein the selling vendor and at least one of the shipping vendor identified in the selected option are not related entities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computers receive the customer order data through a website associated with the selling vendor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the query to the transaction optimization and coordination system is sent in response to receiving the customer order data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computers do not receive the identity of the shipping vendor from the transaction optimization and coordination system.

5. A computer system associated with a shipping vendor possessing a physical inventory, the computer system comprising:

one or more computers having one or more processors operatively connected to one or more computer readable storage media, the one or more computer readable storage media storing thereon computer instructions for carrying out the steps of;

(a) providing, from the one or more computers associated with the shipping vendor to a transaction optimization and coordination system, access to inventory data of the shipping vendor;

(b) receiving, at the one or more computers from the transaction optimization and coordination system, a request to fulfill a customer order for a selling vendor, the request including customer order data identifying one or more items contained in the inventory of the shipping vendor,

wherein the fulfillment request is received after the transaction optimization and coordination system has selected the shipping vendor based at least on the customer order data and the accessed inventory data of the shipping vendor and based at least on the ranking of the shipping vendor by the transaction optimization and coordination system;

(c) determining by the one or more computers, whether the customer order can be fulfilled such that the shipping vendor can arrange for the customer to obtain one or more products of the customer order;

(d) sending, to the transaction optimization and coordination system from the one or more computers, an indication that the customer order can be fulfilled such that the shipping vendor can arrange for the customer to obtain the one or more products of the customer order;

(e) receiving, from the transaction optimization and coordination system at the one or more computers, a request for acceptance of a transaction to fulfill the customer order;

(f) sending, from the one or more computers, a message indicating acceptance of the transaction to fulfill the customer order;

(g) receiving, at the one or more computers, payment information from the transaction optimization and coordination system; and

(h) arranging, by the one or more computers, for the customer to obtain the one or more products of the customer order,

wherein the shipping vendor and selling vendor are not related entities.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more computers does not receive the identity of the selling vendor from the transaction optimization and coordination system.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more computers does not receive the identity of the customer from the transaction optimization and coordination system.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more computers arranges the customer to obtain the one or more products of the customer order by delivering the one or more items to the customer.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein arranging for the customer to obtain the one or more products of the customer order further comprises:

receiving, from the transaction optimization and coordination system at the one or more computers, information identifying a shipping company to deliver the one or more items to the customer.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising, receiving at the one or more computers, shipping label information for printing shipping labels to be placed on packaging of the items.