Method and apparatus for efficiently generating electronic requests for quote

• US 7,908,200 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versata Software, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Versata Development Group, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Leeb, Gunter, Reese, David J., Scott, Cheryl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US10/145,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,231 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4- 44
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for efficiently responding to electronic requests for quote (“RFQ”). Through use, a user, such as a merchant, can automatically create and deliver an electronic RFQ response, without need for any interaction by the merchant. The merchant may establish certain criteria in order to allow the system and method to automatically respond to electronic RFQ'"'"'s received by the merchant.

Claims

1. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for causing a first computer system coupled to a network of interconnected computers to generate an electronic request for quote (RFQ) in response to an electronic RFQ generation request according to the following:

receiving, from a user of a client computer system, one or more electronic selections of one or more products offered via one or more web pages generated by a second computer system;

receiving an electronic RFQ generation request with the first computer system from the user of the client computer system to generate said electronic RFQ, wherein the RFQ generation request includes product selection data indicating a selection of one or more products by the user and the RFQ generation request is received in response to selection by the user of an electronically selectable user interface component provided to the client computer system by the second computer system to allow the user to request generation of the electronic RFQ generation request;

receiving user profile data from the user;

accessing at least one database to obtain a file associated with said user, said file comprising RFQ fulfillment related preferences of said user for generating said electronic RFQ;

generating the electronic RFQ associated with the selected one or more products in accordance with the product selection data, the user profile data, and the user RFQ fulfillment related data;

selecting one or more merchants to receive the RFQ; and

sending said electronic RFQ to the selected one or more merchants.

2. The machine readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to cause said first computer system to seek confirmation of said electronic RFQ by said user prior to said sending.

3. The machine readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to cause said first computer system to permit said user to edit said electronic RFQ prior to said sending.

4. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable medium includes any of magnetic storage medium, including disk and tape storage medium;

optical storage medium, including compact disk memory and digital video disk storage medium;

nonvolatile memory storage memory;

volatile storage medium; and

modulated, electronic signals.

5. The machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein one or more of said preferences are selected from the group comprising days until a due date of the RFQ, default service requirements from a merchant, days prior to sending the RFQ, and days until delivery after an order.

6. The machine readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the instructions are further for causing the first computer system to:

receive one or more quotes in response to said electronic RFQ.

7. A method of generating an electronic request for quote (RFQ) with a first computer system, comprising:

receiving electronic product selection data representing one or more selected products and a quantity for each selected product to be included in the electronic RFQ, wherein each of the products are offered via one or more web pages generated by a second computer system;

receiving a request from a user of a client computer system, coupled to a network of interconnected systems, to generate said electronic RFQ, wherein the RFQ generation request includes product selection data indicating a selection of one or more products by the user and the RFQ generation request is received in response to selection by the user of an electronically selectable user interface component provided to the client computer system by the second computer system to allow the user to request generation of the electronic RFQ generation request;

executing code in first computer system to cause the first computer system to;

access at least one database at a central storage location to obtain a file associated with said user, said file comprising RFQ fulfillment related preferences of said user for generating said electronic RFQ, wherein one or more of said preferences are selected from the group comprising days until a due date of the RFQ, default service requirements from a merchant, days prior to sending the RFQ, and days until delivery after an order;

populate fields of said electronic RFQ in accordance with said product selection data and preferences;

select one or more merchants to receive the RFQ in accordance with the RFQ fulfillment related preferences; and

sending said RFQ to at least one of the selected merchants via said network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said request comprises an electronic request.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said preferences comprise default entries for said fields of said electronic RFQ.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending a confirmation of said electronic RFQ to said user.

11. An electronic RFQ generated according to the method of claim 7.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a response to the electronic RFQ from at least one of the merchants, wherein the response to the electronic RFQ from at least one of the merchants comprises product quantity, price, and merchant information.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

preparing a response to the electronic RFQ, wherein preparing the response further comprises;

assessing price information of a product corresponding to the selected one or more products including accessing at least one database of a supplier of the responding merchant, the database having price and availability information regarding the product from the supplier of the merchant, to ascertain a cost of the product from the supplier.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a response to the RFQ from at least one of the merchants to whom the RFQ was directed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein preparing a response to the electronic RFQ further comprises:

assessing price information of a product corresponding to the selected one or more products including accessing at least one database of a supplier of the responding merchant, the database having price and availability information regarding the product from the supplier of the merchant, to ascertain a cost of the product from the supplier.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the code in the computer system further includes code to cause the first computer system to receive one or more quotes in response to said electronic RFQ.

17. A method for a user to automatically generate an electronic request for quote (RFQ) via a client computer coupled to a first server computer and a second server computer, the method comprising:

displaying one or more web pages received from the second server computer, wherein at least one of the one or more web pages cause the client computer to display one or more products for selection by the user and to display an electronically selectable, user interface component to allow the user to request the first server computer to automatically generate the electronic RFQ for each selected product; and

receiving a user selection of at least one of the products and a user selection of the user interface component; and

sending an RFQ request to the first server computer to allow the first server computer to automatically generate the electronic RFQ for each selected product based on user profile data and user preferences provided to the first server computer, identify one or more merchants to receive the electronic RFQ, and prepare the electronic RFQ for sending to each identified merchant.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the electronically generated RFQ from the first server computer;

displaying said electronic RFQ on said client computer.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising permitting said user to confirm said electronic RFQ prior to sending of the electronic RFQ to each identified merchant.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising electronically receiving at least one response to said electronic RFQ at said client computer via a network of interconnected computers to which said client computer is coupled.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said user profile data and user preferences are stored at said second server computer.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said user profile data and user preferences are stored at said client computer.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the user preferences are selected from the group comprising days until a due date of the RFQ, default service requirements from a merchant, days prior to sending the RFQ, and days until delivery after an order.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving one or more quotes in response to said electronic RFQ.

25. A system for automatically generating an electronic request for quote (RFQ) via a network, comprising:

a first server system coupled to at least one remote system via the network, said first server system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having code stored therein to cause the processor to;

receive from the remote system electronic product selection data representing one or more selected products and a quantity for each selected product to be included in the RFQ, wherein each product is offered via one or more web pages generated by a second server system;

receive an electronic RFQ generation request from the remote system to automatically generate said electronic RFQ, wherein the RFQ generation request includes product selection data indicating a selection of one or more products by a user of the remote system and the RFQ generation request is received in response to selection by the user of an electronically selectable user interface component provided to the remote system by the second server system to allow the user to request generation of the electronic RFQ generation request;

process the product selection data;

process the electronic RFQ generation request;

access a database that includes user profile data and user RFQ fulfillment related preference data;

automatically generate an electronic RFQ associated with the selected one or more products in accordance with the product selection data, the user profile data, and the user RFQ fulfillment related data;

automatically select one or more merchants to receive the RFQ; and

send the automatically generated RFQ to the selected one or more merchants.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a storage device coupled to said first server system, said storage device comprising the database including a file corresponding to the user profile data and user RFQ fulfillment related preference data.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said storage device is integral to said first server system.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the electronically selectable user interface component allows the user to create an instant RFQ for at least one selected product.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the user RFQ fulfillment related preference data are selected from the group comprising days until a due date of the RFQ, default service requirements from a merchant, days prior to sending the RFQ, and days until delivery after an order.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the code is further configured to cause the processor to:

receive one or more quotes in response to said electronic RFQ.

31. A computer system for allowing a user to automatically generate an electronic request for quote (RFQ), the computer system comprising:

a display;

a processor coupled to the display,

memory coupled to the processor, the memory having code stored therein to cause the processor to;

receive user profile and user RFQ preference data entered into the computer system;

display one or more web pages received from a first server computer system, wherein at least one of the one or more web pages causes display of one or more products for selection by the user and causes display of an electronically selectable, user interface component to allow the user to request a second server computer system to automatically generate the electronic RFQ for each selected product;

receive a selection of one or more of the products and a selection of the user interface component; and

sending an RFQ request to the second server computer to allow the second server computer system to automatically generate the electronic RFQ for each selected product based on user profile data and user preferences provided to the second server computer system, identify one or more merchants to receive the electronic RFQ, and prepare the electronic RFQ for sending to each identified merchant.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the code is further configured to cause the processor to:

receive one or more quotes in response to said electronic RFQ.

33. A method of using a first computer system to automatically generate an electronic request for quote (“

RFQ”

) in response to an electronic RFQ generation request, the method comprising;

receiving electronic product selection data representing one or more selected products and a quantity for each selected product to be included in the RFQ, wherein each of the products are offered via one or more web pages generated by a second computer system;

receiving an electronic RFQ generation request with the first computer system from a user of a client computer system to automatically generate said electronic RFQ, wherein the RFQ generation request includes product selection data indicating a selection of one or more products by the user and the RFQ generation request is received in response to selection by the user of an electronically selectable user interface component provided to the client computer system by the second computer system to allow the user to request generation of the electronic RFQ generation request; and

in response to the electronic RFQ generation request, executing code in the first computer system to cause the first computer system to;

process the product selection data;

process the electronic RFQ generation request;

access a database that includes user profile data and user RFQ fulfillment related preference data;

automatically generate an electronic RFQ associated with the selected one or more products in accordance with the product selection data, the user profile data, and the user RFQ fulfillment related data;

automatically select one or more merchants to receive the RFQ; and

sending the automatically generated RFQ to the selected one or more merchants.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving a response to the electronic RFQ from at least one of the merchants, wherein the response to the electronic RFQ from at least one of the merchants comprises product quantity, price, and merchant information.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

automatically populating data fields of the response with predetermined merchant profile and preference data.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

preparing the response and electronically sending the response completely automatically without merchant intervention.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

preparing a response to the electronic RFQ, wherein preparing the response further comprises;

assessing price information of a product corresponding to the selected one or more products including accessing at least one database of a supplier of the responding merchant, the database having price and availability information regarding the product from the supplier of the merchant, to ascertain a cost of the product from the supplier.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein electronically selectable user interface component allows the user to create an instant RFQ for at least one selected product.

39. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

receiving a response to the RFQ from at least one of the merchants to whom the RFQ was sent.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving one or more quotes in response to said electronic RFQ.

41. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

providing a user interface module to generate a user interface for said user to input information including user profile and preference data; and

obtaining said information from said user via said user interface, said desired information comprising;

identification information regarding said user;

preference selection information, said preference selection information comprising default entries for fields of said electronic RFQ; and

storing said information in a file correlating to said user.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising permitting said user to modify said file.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising transmitting said file to the database for storage.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising accessing said file upon receipt of electronic RFQ generation request.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising creating said electronic RFQ using said information located within said file.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein said computer system is coupled to a network of interconnected computing systems.