Computerized quotation system and method

A method for processing requests for quotation for goods and/or services from a party representing a buyer or supplier of goods and/or services through a computerized system forming a computer based communications network of network members for linking buyers to suppliers with the computerized system having at least one central processing unit including operating system software for controlling the central processing unit and storage means containing the identification of the network members, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

• receiving a buyer's request for quotation over a communication network;
• selecting one or more appropriate vendors to be sent the buyer's request for quotation based upon filter conditions, set by the buyer, vendor and the network software;
• transmitting the buyer's request for quotation separately to said selected vendors over said communications network;
• and with said selected vendors communicating their quotations either directly to the buyer or to the computerized system which in turn transmits said received quotations to the requesting buyer.

A computerized system for engaging in transactions over a data network, said computerized system comprising:

• a plurality of terminals, at least one of which being designated a requestor and others of which are designated vendor terminals;
• filter and broadcast means for receiving, over said data network, requests from said requestor to engage in transactions with unspecified vendor terminals, and for filtering said requests to determine with which vendor terminals said requests should be matched;
• and
• means for matching said requests with vendor terminals which meet predetermined filter conditions for generating quotes from information contained in a database associated with said vendor terminals, and for accepting said quotes from said vendor terminals, wherein the central database contains information that is insufficient to consummate the transaction.

A method of purchasing goods or services over a data network comprising the steps of:

• communicating, over said data network, to a filter means, at least one request for a quotation from a potential buyer of said goods or services;
• filtering, at said filter means, the at least one request in order to ascertain a set of sellers potentially capable of supplying said goods or services;
• and
• obtaining, from at least one of said potential sellers, over a data network, quotes to supply said goods or services, and forwarding said quotes to said potential buyer, wherein at least part of the quote information is stored at a location remote from said filter means.

A method of matching buyers of goods and services with sellers of goods and services over a data network comprising the steps of;

• communicating, from buyers to a filter means, requests for quotes (RFQs);
• filtering said RFQs so that only sellers meeting a first set of filter conditions receive said RFQs;
• transmitting, to remotely located seller databases, the filtered RFQs;
• accepting quotes from sellers meeting said first set of filter conditions, and filtering said quotes so that only quotes meeting additional filter conditions are sent to a buyer requesting said quotes.