Online system and method of status inquiry and tracking related to orders for consumer product having specific configurations
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorJoe J. Hanzek
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An online system and method of inquiring and tracking the status of an online order for a product are provided. The system includes a consumer status query message, which includes a consumer identifier of a user who previously placed the online order for the product. A status translator is operable to receive the consumer status query message and convert the consumer status query message to a consumer status query file. A status packager is operable to receive the consumer status query file, extract status data associated with the consumer identifier from an enterprise product information database, and generate a consumer status reply file containing the extracted status data.
Claims18
An online method of obtaining status information related to an online order for purchasing a product, comprising:
- receiving a status query message, the status query message having a unique identifier identifying the online order, the online order specifying characteristics for an order of a vehicular product having variable characteristics, the variable characteristics capable of affecting production of instances of the vehicular product, the unique identifier linked to a particular instance of the vehicular product, the particular instance designated as having the specified characteristics;
- routing the status query message to a status processor, the status processor generating a status query in response to the status query message;
- searching an enterprise product information database for status update data associated with the unique identifier, the enterprise product information database maintaining inventory of products for an organization and tracking production status during production for instances of the vehicular product, the status update data indicating the production status for the particular instance;
- extracting the status update data and generating a status reply message incorporating the status update data;
- and
- storing the contents of the status reply message in a buyer database.
An online method of obtaining status information related to an online order for purchasing a product, comprising:
- receiving a status query message, the status query message having a unique identifier identifying the online order, the online order specifying characteristics for an order of a vehicular product having variable characteristics, the variable characteristics capable of affecting production of instances of the vehicular product, the unique identifier linked to a particular instance of the vehicular product, the particular instance designated as having the specified characteristics;
- routing the status query message to a status processor, the status processor generating a status query in response to the status query message;
- searching an enterprise product information database for status update data associated with the unique identifier the enterprise product information database tracking production status during production for instances of the vehicular product, the status update data indicating the production status for the particular instance;
- extracting the status update data and generating a status reply message incorporating the status update data;
- storing the contents of the status reply message in a buyer database in response to both the status query message being a batch status query message and the status reply message being a batch status reply message;
- and
- displaying content of the status reply message to a requesting user on a web page in response to both the status query message being a consumer status query message and the status reply message being a consumer status reply message.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.