Vehicle inventory management system and method

• US 7,865,409 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2008
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Timothy A. Monaghan
• Original Assignee: Timothy A. Monaghan
• Inventors: Monaghan, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F. Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMATRAHI, FARIS S
• Application Number:
  US12/027,348
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method of providing a periodic vehicle order count recommendation for supplementing an inventory of a motor vehicle dealership to satisfy periodic market demand. The method includes the steps of converting a sales history database and an inventory database for the dealership into a dealership data structure, and obtaining from an agent of the dealership, query parameters including a specified sales history period, a forecast period, and a market region specification. The method also includes the steps of accessing a database of VIN numbers registered with a government agency, decoding VIN numbers registered within the market region, and storing resultant registered vehicle information into a regional vehicle registrations data structure. Then, estimating a periodic vehicle order count to satisfy market demand within the market region during the forecast period based on the dealer database structure of inventory and sales history over the specified sales history period, and the regional vehicle registration data structure.

Claims

1. A method of providing a periodic vehicle order count recommendation for supplementing an inventory of a motor vehicle dealership to satisfy periodic market demand, comprising the steps of:

converting, by a computing device, a sales history database and an inventory database for the dealership into a dealership data structure stored in the computing device;

obtaining, from an agent of the dealership and entering into the computing device, query parameters including a specified sales history period, a forecast period, and a market region specification;

accessing a database of VIN numbers registered with a government agency, decoding VIN numbers registered within said market region, and storing resultant registered vehicle information into a regional vehicle registrations data structure, which is located in the computing device;

estimating, by the computing device, a periodic vehicle order count to satisfy market demand within said market region during said forecast period based on data recalled from said dealer database structure of inventory and sales history over said specified sales history period, and said registered vehicle information recalled from said regional vehicle registration data structure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said inventory database includes a current inventory portion and an inbound inventory portion that is organized by expected time before availability for sale by the dealership, and wherein

said inbound inventory portion is provided by a vehicle manufacturer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said regional vehicle registration data structure includes data fields for makes, models, options, equipment packages, or colors.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said sales history database, said inventory database, and said periodic vehicle order count include used vehicles.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said database of VIN numbers is provided by a third party provider of regional vehicle consumption data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

creating an over aged vehicle data structure of current inventory that has been in said inventory longer than said forecast period.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

accessing said over aged vehicle data structure by a vehicle broker.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said converting and said estimating steps are executed on a server-computer, and further comprising the step of:

accessing said server-computer through the Internet.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said dealership data structure is comprised of data for plural motor vehicle dealerships.