Managing store inventory

• US 20040078272A1
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kelvin Roderick Lawrence, Michael A. Paolini, Michael Wayne Brown
• Original Assignee: Kelvin Roderick Lawrence, Michael A. Paolini, Michael Wayne Brown
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Lawrence, Kelvin Roderick
• Application Number:
  US10/686,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078272A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, multiple selections of food-related items that are absent from multiple homes are accessed at a computer system associated with a store via a universally accessible database according to multiple universal identifiers that are each respectively associated with one of the homes. The selections of food-related items that are absent from multiple homes are compared with a database of current food-related inventory for the store. Future food-related orders for the store are adjusted according the multiple selections of food-related items, such that inventory for said particular store is managed in response to accessing inventory requirements for multiple homes.

Claims

1. A store inventory management system, said system comprising:

a computer system with access to a database of current food-related inventory for a store and a database of food-related orders for said store;

a communication interface between said computer system and a universally accessible database, wherein selections of food-related items that are absent from a plurality of homes are accessible at said computer system via said universally accessible database according to a plurality of universal identifiers each respectively associated with one of said plurality of homes; and

an inventory control element executable on said computer system for adjusting future food-related orders for said store according to current food-related inventory, ordered food-related inventory and said selections of food-related items that are absent from said plurality of homes.

2. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said inventory control element adjusts said future food-related orders according to a historical database of food-related inventory for said store accessible at said computer system.

3. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said selections of food-related items that are absent from said plurality of homes include expected dates for purchase.

4. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said selections of food-related items that are absent from said plurality of homes are accessed in an extensible mark-up language data format.

5. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said communication medium comprises a connection to a network from which said universally accessible database is accessible.

6. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said universally accessible database directs access to a plurality of universally accessible server systems according to said plurality of universal identifiers.

7. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said inventory control element further comprises:

means for identifying food-related items included in said selections of food-related items that are absent from said plurality of homes that are not included in a database of current food-related inventory and said database of food-related orders for said store.

8. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of universal identifiers are provided to said computer system by each of said plurality of homes.

9. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein said inventory control element further comprises:

means for assigning a sale offer for a particular period to a particular food-related item according to said selections of food-related items that are absent from said plurality of homes.

10. The store inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein purchases by each of said plurality of homes are monitored in association with each of said respective plurality of universal identifiers.