Webstore supporting multiple merchants

• US 8,600,821 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JUNE RAY LIMITED
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Borders, Louis H., Relan, Arvind Peter, Lloyd, Margaret Sue, Bhargava, Sunil, Wijaya, Joyo, Ham, Peter, Clossman, Gray Andrew, Mayya, Ajit Ramachandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Zare, Scott
• Application Number:
  US11/642,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,541 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/330, 705/334, 705/26.1, 705/26.61, 705/340
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A technique for effecting electronic commerce using a data network is described. The data network includes a plurality of subsystems which, together, form an integrated system for receiving customer orders for selected items via a data network, fulfilling the customer orders, and delivering the ordered products to the customers. Moreover, according to a specific embodiment, the integrated nature of the system architecture of the present invention allows the on-line merchant to provide a guarantee to the customer that the ordered items will be available to be delivered to the customer at the specified delivery date, time, and location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for an integrated computer network of and managed by an entity to assist customers to order products and a plurality of merchants to provide information regarding products, the integrated computer network including a customer interface, an accounting and billing system, an order fulfillment system and a publishing system, the computer-implemented method comprising:

allowing, via the customer interface, customers to access and electronically search for information from a database, which is associated with the customer interface, regarding a plurality of products from at least two merchants;

receiving, via the customer interface, customer orders from the customers, the customer orders for ordering products from the plurality of products;

managing, via the accounting and billing system using at least one computing device, accounting and billing data related to the customer orders to allow the orders to be processed and the customers to be billed for the products from the at least two merchants;

managing, via the order fulfillment system, fulfillment of the received customer orders for the products from the at least two merchants;

managing, via the publishing system, information about products from the at least two merchants to be available for customer purchase via the customer interface;

allowing, via a publishing interface of the publishing system, the at least two merchants to enter product information regarding products into another database, which is in a memory device associated with the publishing system, including at least the name and availability information of at least two products, one from each of the at least two merchants, to be sold, wherein the publishing interface includes (a) a first publishing interface that allows the at least two merchants to upload product information in data files into the another database, and (b) a second publishing GUI interface that allows the at least two merchants to edit entered product information via the web;

accessing the memory device for information regarding the products entered by the at least two merchants for customers to order; and

organizing the information accessed from the memory device regarding the products entered by the at least two merchants at least into products under one or more categories for customers to access and search via the customer interface,

wherein if products entered by the at least two merchants are of the same category, the publishing system is configured to automatically categorize the products together for customers to access and search,

wherein the method further comprises allowing customers to access information regarding the products from the at least two merchants as well as to access information regarding other products via the customer interface to order products, and allowing a customer to return at least a product ordered by the customer during the time when the product is physically delivered to the customer, with information regarding the return being received by the integrated computer network during the time of return,

wherein the method is configured to be implemented via at least the customer interface, the accounting and billing system, the order fulfillment system and the publishing system, which are configured to be included in the integrated computer network, and

wherein the at least two merchants are from two separate entities,

wherein the integrated computer network is configured to control at least customer ordering, customer accounting and billing, and customer order fulfillment, without using systems or separate online storefronts from the at least two merchants, so that customer information including information regarding orders from customers for products from the at least two merchants are configured to be managed by the integrated computer network.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the at least two merchants is allowed to update product information regarding its products via the publishing system.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the customer interface is part of a webstore.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises handling customer complaints via a help desk system.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises managing, via a delivery system, the delivery of the products ordered by the customers so that the products are delivered to the customers.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises managing, via the order fulfillment system, at least a part of a distribution center to fulfill the orders.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6,

wherein the method further comprises automatically transmitting information regarding the orders to the order fulfillment system to control operations in the distribution center, and

wherein the operations are related to material handling to fulfill the orders.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises automatically transmitting information regarding the orders to the delivery system for scheduling one or more delivery vehicles to deliver the products to the customers.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a request from the customer to initiate the return of the product.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a request to initiate the return of the product.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least executable computer program code tangibly stored therein for an integrated computer network of an entity to assist customers to order products and a plurality of merchants to provide information regarding products, the integrated computer network including a customer interface, an accounting and billing system, an order fulfillment system, and a publishing system with a publishing interface, and said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for allowing customers to access and electronically search for information from a database, which is associated with the customer interface, regarding a plurality of products from at least two merchants via the customer interface;

computer program code for receiving customer orders from the customers, the customer orders for ordering products from the plurality of products;

computer program code for managing, via the order fulfillment system, fulfillment of the customer orders for the products from the at least two merchants;

computer program code for managing, via the accounting and billing system, accounting and billing data related to the customer orders to allow the orders to be processed and the customers to be billed for the products from the at least two merchants; and

computer program code for managing, via the publishing system, information about products from at least two merchants to be available for customer purchase via the customer interface;

computer program code for allowing the at least two merchants to enter into another database, which is associated with the publishing system, via the publishing interface, product information regarding products from the at least two merchants to be sold, the product information including at least the name and availability information of at least two products, one from each of the at least two merchants, wherein the publishing interface includes (a) a first publishing interface that allows the at least two merchants to upload product information in data files into the another database, and (b) a second publishing GUI interface that allows the at least two merchants to edit entered product information via the web;

computer program code for organizing the information regarding products entered by the at least two merchants at least into products under one or more categories, for customers to access and search via the customer interface, wherein if products entered by the at least two merchants are of the same category, the products would be automatically categorized together for customers to access and search; and

computer program code for allowing customers to access information regarding the products from the at least two merchants as well as to access information regarding other products via the customer interface to order products,

wherein at least a customer is allowed to return at least a product ordered by the customer during the time when the product is physically delivered to the customer, with information regarding the return being received by the integrated computer network during the time of return,

wherein the at least two merchants are from two separate entities, and

wherein the integrated computer network is configured to control at least customer ordering, customer accounting and billing, and customer order fulfillment, without using systems or separate online storefronts from the at least two merchants, so that customer information including information regarding orders from customers for products from the at least two merchants are configured to be managed by the integrated computer network.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for allowing each of the at least two merchants to update product information regarding its products.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for handling customer complaints.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for managing the delivery of the products ordered by the customers to deliver products to the customers.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for managing a distribution center to fulfill the orders.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for scheduling one or more delivery vehicles to deliver to the customers products ordered by the customers.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for generating a report regarding product information from the at least two merchants.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for receiving a request from the customer to initiate the return of the product.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising computer program code for receiving a request to initiate the return of the product.