Electronic information network for inventory control and transfer

Abstract

A process for distributing items, especially industrial maintenance repair and operating (MRO) parts and supplies. The process includes as a first step providing a plurality of vendors for selling the item. Next, an information network by which each vendor can communicate to the other vendors a current inventory quantity and a current price of the item each of the vendors has for sale. A last step includes establishing an agreement among the vendors in which a first vendor agrees to sell to a second vendor, upon demand at a future point in time, up to the then current inventory quantity of the item at the then current price communicated over the information network by the first vendor to the second vendor

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A process for distributing an item, including the steps of 
 a) providing a plurality of independent industrial distributors of an item; and    b) providing an information network for communicating among said distributors the amount of inventory of said item possessed by each of said distributors.    
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  further including following the step b), the steps of: 
 c) providing communication between said information network and a manufacturer of said item;  
 d) determining a total inventory of said item possessed by said distributors and said manufacturer at a first time;  
 e) determining a total inventory of said item possessed by said distributors and said manufacturer at a second time, subsequent to said first time;  
 f) calculating a time period until inventory of said item will be depleted based on changes in inventory between said first time and said second time; and  
 g) manufacturing said item at a rate to prevent inventory depletion of said item within said time period.  
 
     
     
         3 . A process for distributing items, including the steps of: 
 a) providing a plurality of vendors for selling an item;    b) providing an information network by which information about the respective quantity and price of said item each of said vendors has for sale can be shared among said vendors; and    c) establishing an agreement among said vendors in which each of said vendors agrees to sell to any other of said vendors up to said respective quantity of said item at said respective price.    
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 3  wherein said item is produced by a single manufacturer.  
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4  further including the step of providing a link to said communications network by which said manufacturer can communicate with said vendors.  
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 4  further including following step c), the steps of: 
 d) providing communication between said information network and said manufacturer;  
 e) determining a total inventory of said item possessed by said vendors and said manufacturer at a first time;  
 f) determining a total inventory of said item possessed by said vendors and said manufacturer at a second time, subsequent to said first time;  
 g) calculating a time period until inventory of said item will be depleted based on changes in inventory between said first time and said second time; and  
 h) manufacturing said item at a rate to prevent inventory depletion of said item within said time period.  
 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 3  further including the step of electronically transmitting purchase orders to said vendors via said information network.  
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7  further including the step of selectively providing electronic communication of a status of said purchase order via said information network.  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 3  further including the step of providing for electronic funds transfer via said information network.  
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein step b) includes the step of said distributors uploading inventory files containing inventory information to said information network.  
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 10  further including, after the step of said uploading inventory files containing inventory information, the steps of: 
 c) converting files into desired format;  
 d) merging other vendor files with the inventory files;  
 e) deleting records from the information network which are to be replaced; and  
 f) loading new records into database tables on the information network from the formatted files.  
 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said information network includes at least one of an Inventory Network function, a Parts Trader function, an Electronic Commerce function, and a Consolidator function.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein said information network is provided with access functions that control access of a user to various functions of the information network, and including the steps of maintaining said access functions, including, following step c), the steps of: 
 d) loading a Depot table which includes a user identification for each member of the information network and an indication of the access the member has to said at least one of an Inventory Network function, a Parts Trader Function, an Electronic Commerce Function, and a Consolidator function; and    e) selectively modifying information in said Depot Table.    
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein said information network is provided with access functions that control access of a user to various functions of the information network, and including the steps of maintaining said access functions, including, following step c), the steps of: 
 d) loading an authority table having fields for a user identification, a code field, a criteria field, and a data field; and    e) selectively modifying information in said authority table.    
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 14 , wherein step e) includes modifying information in said authority table about at least one of information regarding the name of a vendor with whom the user has order and quote privileges, information regarding the authority of the user to submit requisitions, and information regarding the authority of the user to download files from the information network containing at least one of quotes and orders.  
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said information network includes a Mall portion containing information on all of the vendors using the information network, and further including the steps performed by a user of: 
 d) selecting a search criteria from among the criteria consisting of product, service and vendor;    e) viewing a list of records matching the search criteria;    f) selecting a record from said list of records; and    g) viewing vendor information relating to said selected record.    
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said information network includes a Depot portion containing at least one of an Inventory Network function, a Parts Trader Function, and Electronic Commerce Function, and a Consolidator function.  
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17 , wherein said Parts Trader Function enables a user to search for a supplier of a part by search criteria including at least one of product class and manufacturer.  
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 17  further including the user steps following step c) of: 
 d) selecting to utilize the Inventory Network function;  
 e) viewing a list of networks available to the particular user displayed by said information network; and  
 f) selecting an information network to utilize.  
 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 17  further including the steps following step c) of: 
 d) providing at least one inventory network over said information network; and  
 e) providing functions to enable a user of said inventory network to do at least one of viewing information about other users of said inventory network, searching said inventory network for information about inventory of other users of said inventory network, uploading information about the user's inventory to said network, and retrieving inventory information from said network.  
 
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 17  further including, following step c): 
 d) providing functions to enable a user of said information network Electronic Commerce function to do at least one of searching for parts information, placing an order over said information network for a part with one of said vendors, requesting a quote for a part from one of said vendors over said information network, creating a requisition for a part and transmitting said requisition over said information network, and obtaining a status of one of said order, said quote and said requisition over said information network;  
 e) providing functions to enable each of said vendors to view transactions on said information network involving said vendor, including at least one of new orders transmitted to said vendor, previously viewed orders, new quotes transmitted to said vendor, and previously viewed quotes; and  
 f) providing functions to enable each of said vendors to perform at least one of the following functions with respect to transactions involving said vendor: selecting transactions to download, downloading all new orders, deleting all viewed orders, deleting individual transactions, viewing text of individual transactions, viewing individual transactions in form format, and uploading vendor files.