System, method and software product for ordering image products over a communication network from a plurality of different providers having various business relationships, using images stored on a digital storage device

A method comprising:

• providing a network service on a network, the network service including digital photo services provided by a plurality of service providers;
• allowing a user to access a network server via the network service using an order terminal connected to the network for ordering at least one of the digital photo services;
• inserting into the order terminal a digital storage device carried by the user and having an image stored thereon for use by at least one of said service providers to provide one of said digital photo services therefor, and having a code stored thereon for use by the network service to identify one of a plurality of business entities, said one of the plurality of business entities being associated with the digital storage device, the plurality of business entities each having a predefined business relationship with each of said plurality of service providers;
• reading the digital storage device to obtain image data for the image stored thereon and to obtain the code;
• maintaining relationship data of the predefined business relationships between each of said business entities and each of service providers in a database coupled to the network, the relationship data including rankings of the predefined business relationships between each of said business entities and each of the service providers;
• accessing the database and using the code to obtain a ranking of predefined business relationships between said one of the plurality of business entities identified by the code and said plurality of service providers;
• displaying to the user an order screen on the order terminal, the order screen including purchasing information for ordering said at least one of the digital photo services for the image, the purchasing information generated and transmitted by the server over the network, the purchasing information including at least one of the plurality of service providers, and the purchasing information capable of being modified by the server in response to the ranking of the predefined business relationships between said one of the plurality of business entities identified by the code and said plurality of service providers;
• and
• displaying different types of products and/or services on the order screen for the user to select, the different types of products and/or services each provided by two or more of the plurality of service providers, wherein some of the products and/or services are displayed more prominently in response to a higher ranking of the predefined business relationships between said one of the plurality of business entities and said two or more of the plurality of service providers.

A system for ordering products over a network, comprising:

• an order terminal connected to the network, the order terminal capable of reading image data from a digital storage device, the storage device having stored thereon an image for which a user can order products and/or services from a plurality of service providers over the network via the order terminal, the storage device associated with one of a plurality of business entities;
• a database connected to the network for storing rankings of business relationships between the business entities and the service providers;
• and
• an order screen connected to the order terminal for presenting to the user a first purchase offer related to a product and/or service for the image and including at least two of the plurality of service providers, wherein (1) the service providers that are included in the first purchase offer we selected according to their having higher rankings according to a ranking of the business relationships between said one of a plurality of business entities and said plurality of service providers, (2) said at least two service providers are arranged on the order screen such that one of said at least two service providers is displayed more prominently based on said ranking, and (3) the purchase offer includes rower prices for some service providers in response to their having a higher rank according to the ranking of the business relationships between said one of a plurality of business entities and said plurality of service providers.