System and method for product optimization

• US 9,928,238 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrews Distributing Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Andrews Distributing Company, LLC
• Inventors: McGuire, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US15/198,803
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A method includes maintaining product sales information according to a data model. The data model includes a consumer-demographics naming convention, a retail-provider-type naming convention, and a product-naming convention. The maintaining includes indexing the product sales information by consumer-demographics information, by retail-provider-type information, and by product-categorization information. The method further includes receiving raw sales information and translating the raw sales information into the data model. In addition the method includes storing the translated raw sales information as part of the product sales information. Furthermore, the method includes receiving a request for aggregation of at least a portion of the product sales information. The request specifies an intersection of the product-categorization information, the consumer-demographic information, and the retail-provider-type information. The method also includes, responsive to the request, aggregating the at least a portion of the product sales information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a database, maintaining multiple-indexed data according to a data model comprising a plurality of distinct naming conventions, the plurality of distinct naming conventions comprising a first naming convention, a second naming convention, and a third naming convention;

wherein the multiple-indexed data comprises;

information of interest in relation to first data and second data;

first descriptive information in relation to the first data, the first descriptive information categorizing the first data in conformance to the first naming convention;

second descriptive information in relation to the first data, the second descriptive information categorizing the first data in conformance to the second naming convention; and

third descriptive information in relation to the second data, the third descriptive information categorizing the second data in conformance to the third naming convention;

wherein the maintaining comprises indexing the multiple-indexed data at least by the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information;

periodically receiving, by a server computer over a computer network, raw data, the raw data comprising new information of interest, new first data and new second data;

responsive to the periodically receiving, translating, by the server computer, the raw data into the data model, the translating comprising;

determining new first descriptive information in relation to the new first data, the new first descriptive information categorizing the new first data in conformance to the first naming convention;

determining new second descriptive information in relation to the new first data, the new second descriptive information categorizing the new first data in conformance to the second naming convention; and

determining new third descriptive information in relation to the new second data, the new third descriptive information categorizing the new second data in conformance to the third naming convention; and

storing the translated raw data as part of the multiple-indexed data, the storing comprising storing the new information of interest, the new first data, the new second data, the new first descriptive information, the new second descriptive information and the new third descriptive information as part of the information of interest, the first data, the second data, the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, by the server computer over the computer network, a request for computer analysis of the information of interest in relation to an intersection of the first naming convention and the second naming convention;

responsive to the request, the server computer aggregating at least a portion of the multiple-indexed data based at least in part on an intersection of the first descriptive information and the second descriptive information;

responsive to the aggregating, identifying an optimal intersection of the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information relative to the information of interest; and

providing information related to the optimal intersection to a requestor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first naming convention, the second naming convention and the third naming convention each comprise a plurality of categories.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving of the request comprises:

acquiring a category of the first naming convention; and

acquiring a category of the second naming convention.

5. The method of claim 4, the method comprising:

facilitating comparison of the optimal intersection with other data of the multiple-indexed data.

6. The method of claim 3, the method comprising:

sorting the aggregated at least a portion of the multiple-indexed data by information related to the information of interest.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising performing a gap analysis.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first naming convention, the second naming convention, and the third naming convention are each expressed as a tree structure.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one naming convention of the plurality of distinct naming conventions comprises a plurality of levels.

10. A system comprising:

a database that maintains multiple-indexed data, the multiple-indexed data being maintained according to a data model comprising a plurality of distinct naming conventions, the plurality of distinct naming conventions comprising a first naming convention, a second naming convention, and a third naming convention;

wherein the multiple-indexed data comprises;

information of interest in relation to first data and second data;

first descriptive information in relation to the first data, the first descriptive information categorizing the first data in conformance to the first naming convention;

second descriptive information in relation to the first data, the second descriptive information categorizing the first data in conformance to the second naming convention; and

third descriptive information in relation to the second data, the third descriptive information categorizing the second data in conformance to the third naming convention

wherein the multiple-indexed data is indexed at least by the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information;

a server computer in data communication with the database, wherein the server computer is operable to;

periodically receive raw data over a computer network, the raw data comprising new information of interest, new first data and new second data;

translate the raw data into the data model, the translation comprising;

determination of new first descriptive information in relation to the new first data, the new first descriptive information categorizing the new first data in conformance to the first naming convention;

determination of new second descriptive information in relation to the new first data, the new second descriptive information categorizing the new first data in conformance to the second naming convention; and

determination of new third descriptive information in relation to the new second data, the new third descriptive information categorizing the new second data in conformance to the third naming convention; and

store the translated raw data as part of the multiple-indexed data, the storage comprising storage of the new information of interest, the new first data, the new second data, the new first descriptive information, the new second descriptive information and the new third descriptive information as part of the information of interest, the first data, the second data, the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information, respectively.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the server computer is further operable to:

receive, over the computer network, a request for computer analysis of the information of interest in relation to an intersection of the first naming convention and the second naming convention;

responsive to the request, aggregate at least a portion of the multiple-indexed data based at least in part on an intersection of the first descriptive information and the second descriptive information;

responsive to the aggregation, identify an optimal intersection of the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information relative to the information of interest; and

provide information related to the optimal intersection to a requestor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first naming convention, the second naming convention and the third naming convention each comprise a plurality of categories.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the receipt of the request comprises:

acquisition of a category of the first naming convention; and

acquisition of a category of the second naming convention.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server computer is operable to:

facilitate comparison of the optimal intersection with other data of the multiple-indexed data.

15. The system of claim 14, the system comprising:

wherein the server computer is operable to sort the aggregated at least a portion of the multiple-indexed data by information related to the information of interest.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the server computer is operable to perform a gap analysis.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first naming convention, the second naming convention, and the third naming convention are each expressed as a tree structure.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one naming convention of the plurality of distinct naming conventions comprises a plurality of levels.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the system comprises a plurality of databases.

20. A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

maintaining multiple-indexed data according to a data model comprising a plurality of distinct naming conventions, the plurality of distinct naming conventions comprising a first naming convention, a second naming convention, and a third naming convention;

wherein the multiple-indexed data comprises;

information of interest in relation to first data and second data;

first descriptive information in relation to the first data, the first descriptive information categorizing the first data in conformance to the first naming convention;

second descriptive information in relation to the first data, the second descriptive information categorizing the first data in conformance to the second naming convention; and

third descriptive information in relation to the second data, the third descriptive information categorizing the second data in conformance to the third naming convention;

wherein the maintaining comprises indexing the information of interest at least by the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information;

periodically receiving raw data over a computer network, the raw data comprising new information of interest, new first data and new second data;

responsive to the periodically receiving, translating the raw data into the data model, the translating comprising;

determining new first descriptive information in relation to the new first data, the new first descriptive information categorizing the new first data in conformance to the first naming convention;

determining new second descriptive information in relation to the new first data, the new second descriptive information categorizing the new first data in conformance to the second naming convention; and

determining new third descriptive information in relation to the new second data, the new third descriptive information categorizing the new second data in conformance to the third naming convention; and

storing the translated raw data as part of the multiple-indexed data, the storing comprising storing the new information of interest, the new first data, the new second data, the new first descriptive information, the new second descriptive information and the new third descriptive information as part of the information of interest, the first data, the second data, the first descriptive information, the second descriptive information and the third descriptive information, respectively.