Chemical product commerce network

Abstract

Computer implemented methods for processing transactions involving chemical products include receiving at a server computer from a client computer transaction data that includes a product identifier. In response, testing of a sample of the identified product is scheduled and results of the sample testing are stored in a database. The results may be retrieved in response to a subsequent query from the user and sent over a network to the user. In another aspect, characteristics of a chemical product produced according to a particular formulation are determined, the formulation may be modified, and characteristics of a produce produced according to the modified formulation can be determined. A networked computer system that includes a server, a database, and a memory is configured to exchange data with client computers and is coupled to a database that stores stores chemical product data for a number of chemicals materials. The chemical product data can include, e.g., starting point formulations (i.e., recipes combining chemical materials to produce a product). The memory includes instructions that can configure the server to communicate over a computer network with a client computer. The client computer can communicate a product identifier to the server and, based on that identifier, the server may query the database to retrieve chemical product data which is then returned to the client computer.

1 . A computer implemented transaction processing method comprising: 
 receiving at a server computer from a client computer transaction data comprising an identifier of a product;    scheduling sample testing associated with the product;    storing in a database a result of the sample testing;    retrieving from the database in response to a subsequent query the result; and    sending the result over a network to a user.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the result comprises an image associate with an application of the product.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the product comprises a paint product and the image comprises an image of the paint product applied to a surface.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising periodically storing other results of the sample testing and wherein the method further comprises sending the other results over the network to the user.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein sending the result and sending the other results comprise formatting the result and the other results to display at the client computer as different images, each image being associated with a different period of time.  
     
     
         6 - 12 . (canceled)  
     
     
         13 . A computer implemented transaction processing method comprising: 
 receiving at a server computer from a client input data identifying a recipe, the recipe comprising a formulation of a chemical product;    retrieving first data associated with the recipe from a database;    processing the first data to determine characteristics associated with the chemical product;    interacting with a user at a client computer to determine a modification of the recipe;    processing second data associated with the modified recipe to determine modified characteristics; and    presenting the modified characteristics to the user.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the first data comprises raw material characteristic data.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the first data comprises manufacturing process data.  
     
     
         16 - 25 . (canceled)