System, method, and apparatus for supply chain management
First Claim
1. A network system for managing an integrated supply chain of livestock comprising a plurality of producers each producing livestock, including feeding and caring for the livestock, a plurality of intermediaries for facilitating processing of the livestock to become finished product, and a plurality of retailers each retailing finished product derived from the livestock, the system comprising:
- a network system for facilitating interaction between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers via the Internet such that the producers, intermediaries, and retailers are interconnected to communicate, manage, market, and transact the livestock, the network system comprising;
means for a system administrator to manage the network system and relationships between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers regarding the livestock, andmeans for the producers to receive a real time input from retailers, so the one of the producers can change a characteristic of a future supply of the livestock as desired by the respective retailer.
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Abstract
A system for managing an integrated supply chain of livestock, such as beef cattle, utilizes a networked system solution for interacting various supply chain entities via the Internet. Various livestock producers, feed yards, packers, retailers, and vendors to the livestock industry are interconnected to communicate, manage, market, and transact the livestock from birth to consumer sales at the retail level. Producers are enabled to provide source verification of their livestock to enhance the integrity of the system, and prequalify livestock for value-added retail programs. Retailers are enabled to make real-time changes to characteristics of known future supply through interactions with the decision makers during the production process.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A network system for managing an integrated supply chain of livestock comprising a plurality of producers each producing livestock, including feeding and caring for the livestock, a plurality of intermediaries for facilitating processing of the livestock to become finished product, and a plurality of retailers each retailing finished product derived from the livestock, the system comprising:
a network system for facilitating interaction between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers via the Internet such that the producers, intermediaries, and retailers are interconnected to communicate, manage, market, and transact the livestock, the network system comprising; means for a system administrator to manage the network system and relationships between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers regarding the livestock, and means for the producers to receive a real time input from retailers, so the one of the producers can change a characteristic of a future supply of the livestock as desired by the respective retailer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer-implemented method of managing an integrated supply chain of livestock, the method comprising:
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engaging producers that produce livestock, intermediaries that facilitate processing of the livestock to become finished product, and retailers that retail finished product derived from the livestock; facilitating by a system administrator for an integrated network system, interaction between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers via the Internet such that the producers, intermediaries, and retailers are interconnected to communicate, manage, market, and transact the livestock; managing, by the system administrator, relationships between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers, and providing historical, benchmark, and seasonal information to the producers and retailers regarding the livestock; receiving input from the retailers defining custom retail programs to prequalify livestock produced by producers; providing one or more webpages configured to provide for one or more of the producers to select and be prequalified for one or more of the custom retail programs responsive to approval of the system administrator and the respective retailer defining the respective custom retail program, whereby the one or more of the producers are prequalified for the one or more custom retail programs by fulfilling a respective set of production protocols that verified by the system administrator and the respective retailer defining the respective custom retail program; qualifying the livestock for the custom retail programs by physically inspecting the livestock in-person at a physical location of the livestock and, in the alternative, by remote, non-physical inspection via the Internet wherein the livestock is in a remote location, such that decisions are implemented and the livestock is managed; and the one or more custom retail pro prams defined by the respective one or more of the retailers each prescribe a change in a characteristic of a future supply of the livestock that is used by the respective one or more of the producers to change management of the livestock to fulfill the change in the characteristic desired by the respective one or more of the retailers, wherein the change in management of the livestock comprises adjusting one or more protocols of the set production protocols. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification