Method for Computing Price Discounts in an E-Commerce Environment
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJoseph P. Bigus, W. Nathaniel Mills
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and structure for a set of rules processed by combining a procedural rule engine and a pattern matching inference engine to compute and apply discounts to customer orders in an electronic commerce system. The rule processing occurs in multiple phases. First all applicable discounts are computed. Then all allowable subsets of discounts are computed. Finally, a set of discounts is selected, based on business policies, and the discounts are applied to the order line items.
Claims36
A method of computing price discounts for an electronic commerce order, said method comprising:
- categorizing applicable price discounts for an individual customer order;
- computing valid combinations of price discounts for said individual customer order;
- combining said valid combinations of price discounts into a price discount group;
- and
- selecting an optimal price discount based on said price discount group.
A method of computing price discounts for an electronic commerce order, said method comprising:
- identifying price discounts for an individual customer order;
- computing gross savings for each of said price discounts for said individual customer order;
- and
- selecting an optimal price discount that provides an optimal savings when compared to other discounts.
A method of computing price discounts for an electronic commerce order, said method comprising:
- identifying price discounts for an individual customer order;
- disabling discounts that do not apply to said individual customer order to produce a group of valid discounts;
- and
- selecting an optimal price discount that provides a greatest amount of savings when compared to other discounts.
A system for computing price discounts for an electronic commerce order comprising:
- a first unit operable for categorizing applicable price discounts for an individual customer order;
- a computer configured to said first unit and operable for computing valid combinations of price discounts for said individual customer order;
- a component configured to said computer and operable for combining said valid combinations of price discounts into a price discount group;
- a processing control mechanism configured to said component and operable for processing subsets of price discount rules within said price discount group;
- and
- a second unit configured to said component and operable for selecting an optimal price discount based on said price discount group.
A program storage device readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method of computing price discounts for an electronic commerce order, said method comprising:
- categorizing applicable price discounts for an individual customer order;
- computing valid combinations of price discounts for said individual customer order;
- combining said valid combinations of price discounts into a price discount group;
- and
- selecting an optimal price discount based on said price discount group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.