System and method for product vendor selection
AssigneeCapitol Development, LLC
InventorRobert J Steinman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for facilitating complex purchasing decision across a plurality of potential product vendors are based on accumulating pricing, logistical (inventory, shipping, transport, etc.), and performance (past delivery timeliness, satisfaction, etc.) information from a spectrum of relevant sources (vendors, shippers, warehouses, distributors, manufacturers, etc.) and using linear optimization methods to identify one or more recommended vendors from whom to buy a given product at a given logistical moment. The linear optimization analysis is preferably further refined by considering vendor selection priorities of the purchaser, which may be either purchaser-specific or may be generalized to a category of purchaser (such as government versus private, employee size, etc.).
Claims23
A system for facilitating purchasing transactions for a product purchaser relative to a plurality of potential product vendors, comprising:
- at least one communication server connectable to an electronic communication network and being configured to at least occasionally receive product-related information from one or more of at least a product manufacturer, a product distributor, a product storage site, and one or more of the product vendors via the electronic communications network, and being additionally configured to communicate with the product purchaser via the electronic communication network;
- a central analysis computer server having access to the product purchaser's vendor selection priorities and being operably connected to the at least one communication server, the central analysis computer being configured to automatically recommend one or more of the product vendors to the product purchaser for purchasing the product based on the uploaded product-related information and the product purchaser's vendor selection priorities.
A method of automatically recommending one or more product vendors to a product purchaser, comprising:
- at least occasionally accumulating product-related information from one or more of at least a product manufacturer, a product distributor, a product storage site, and one or more of the product vendors using a communication server connected to an electronic communication network;
- and
- using a central analysis computer server provided with the product purchaser's vendor selection priorities and operably connected with the communication server to automatically analyze the accumulated product-related information in combination with the product purchaser's vendor selection priorities by applying the product purchaser's vendor selection priorities to screen the accumulated product related-information and thereafter using linear optimization to automatically identify one or more recommended product vendors from whom to purchase the product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.