System for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores

A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

• a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors, said data comprising the type and quantity of cores said vendors have available for sale, and sequence in which said data is submitted;
• means for transferring said data from said host processor over a data link to a remote terminal for display to a purchaser of cores;
• means for communicating an order from said purchaser to said host processor, said order comprising an offer price to purchase at least one of said cores displayed on said remote terminal;
• wherein said host processor further comprises means for communicating said offer price to said vendors, and
• means for communicating to said purchaser that said order cannot be completed when said offer price has not been accepted by enough vendors willing to agree to accept said offer price for their cores to complete said purchaser's order, wherein when said order can be completed by a vendor, means for providing shipment instructions to said vendor;
• at least one consolidation center having means for inspecting cores received from said vendors and means for packaging said cores for shipment to said purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by said host processor in response to said order by said purchaser;
• and
• means for generating an invoice to said purchaser for the cores included in said order.

A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

• a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors, said data comprising the type and quantity of cores each of said vendors has available for sale, and sequence in which said data is submitted, said data further comprising an asking price for said cores;
• means for transferring said data from said host processor over a data link to a remote terminal for display to a purchaser of cores;
• means for said host processor to receive an order from said purchaser to purchase at least one of said cores displayed as available for sale on said remote terminal, said order comprising an offer price for at least one of said cores;
• said host processor further comprising means for comparing said offer price with said asking price for said cores based on said sequence in which said data was submitted;
• said host processor further comprising means for determining that predetermined conditions to complete said order have been met;
• means responsive to said means for determining for notifying a vendor of at least one core in said sequence and said purchaser that a sale has been made, if said offer price meets or exceeds said asking price for a core;
• means for instructing to said vendor of said core to send said core to a consolidation center;
• said host processor further comprising means for communicating said offer price to other vendors, if said offer price does not meet or exceed the asking price for enough cores to complete said order;
• and
• means responsive to said means for determining for notifying a vendor of said core in said sequence and said purchaser that a sale of said core has been made, if at least one of said other vendors communicates to said host processor a willingness to accept said offer price for a core;
• and
• means for instructing to said other vendor of said core to send said core to said consolidation center;
• said host processor further comprising means for communicating to said purchaser that said order cannot be completed because said offer price has not been accepted by enough vendors, if there are not enough vendors willing to agree to accept said offer price to complete said purchaser's order;
• means at said consolidation center for inspecting cores received from said vendors and means for packaging said cores for shipment to said purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by said host processor in response to said order;
• and
• means for generating an invoice to said purchaser for the cores included in said order.

A system for facilitating the sale and shipment of cores comprising:

• a host processor having means for storing and processing data supplied by a plurality of vendors, the data supplied by each vendor comprising:
• the identity of the vendor supplying the data;
• the type and quantity of cores the vendor has available for sale;
• the asking price of the cores the vendor has available for sale, and sequence in which the data is submitted;
• means for transferring a portion of the data stored on the host processor to a purchaser of cores over a data link to a remote terminal for display to purchaser, wherein the displayed data does not include the identity of the vendor;
• and
• means for communicating an order from the purchaser to the host processor, the order comprising an offer price to purchase at least one core;
• wherein the host processor further comprises means for comparing the offer price with the asking prices of corresponding cores based on the sequence in which the data was submitted;
• means for determining whether or not predetermined conditions to complete the order have been met;
• means responsive to the means for determining for notifying the vendor of the core in the sequence and the purchaser that a sale has been made, when the offer price meets or exceeds the asking price for a core;
• and
• means responsive to the means for determining for communicating the offer price to the vendors, when the offer price does not meet or exceed the asking price for the core;
• and
• means for communicating to the purchaser that the order cannot be completed when the offer price has not been accepted by enough vendors willing to agree to accept the offer price for their cores to complete the purchaser's order;
• means for providing shipment instructions to the vendor;
• at least one consolidation center having means for inspecting cores received from the vendors and means for packaging the cores for shipment to the purchaser according to a set of instructions generated by the host processor in response to the order by the purchaser;
• and means for generating an invoice to the purchaser for the cores included in the order.