Apparatus and method for facilitating the selection of products by buyers and the purchase of the selected products from a supplier

Abstract

A method is disclosed for managing the sale of a plurality of items from a plurality of corresponding suppliers to at least one buyer, wherein the one buyer determines a description of the item to be purchased. The method enables each of the plurality of suppliers to store at least one catalogue of its items in a database and responding to a search request of the one buyer to identify any item in the catalogues stored in the database with a description that matches the item description of the buyer.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of managing the sale of a plurality of items from a plurality of corresponding suppliers to at least one buyer, the one buyer determines a description of the item to be purchased, said method of managing comprising the steps of: 
 a) enabling each of the plurality of suppliers to store at least one catalogue of its items in a database; and    b) responding to a search request of the one buyer to identify any item in the catalogues stored in the database with a description that matches the item description of the buyer.    
     
     
         2 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein there is further included the step of determining the identification of the supplier of the identified item.  
     
     
         3 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein there is further included the step of transmitting an order containing an identification of the item identified in step b) to be stored in a memory.  
     
     
         4 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein there is further included the step of transmitting a prompt to the supplier of the identified item that corresponds to the identified supplier.  
     
     
         5 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the identified supplier is prompted to identify the order in the memory based upon the supplier identification borne by the order and to display the order to the identified supplier.  
     
     
         6 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the identified item supplier transmits to and stores in the memory a response bearing an identification of the one buyer and a response to one buyer's order.  
     
     
         7 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the response comprises an acceptance of the order or a counter offer modifying the terms of the one buyer's order.  
     
     
         8 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein there is included the step of identifying the supplier's response based on the identification of the one buyer and to draw from the memory the response for display to the one buyer.  
     
     
         9 . The method of managing the sale of a plurality of items as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the items contained in the one catalog comprise a promotional product.  
     
     
         10 . A system for carrying out a transaction involving at least one item supplied by at least one supplier and potentially purchased by at least one buyer, each of the one supplier and the one buyer having a terminal connected to a network, said system comprising: 
 a) at least one interface including a database; and    b) at least one server that is connected to the network and is programmed to provide a buyer web site to permit the one buyer to communicate over the network between the buyer's terminal and the interface, and to provide a supplier Webster to permit the supplier to communicate over the network between the supplier's terminal and the interface, whereby one of the buyer and supplier may transmit a message related to the one item from its terminal to the interface and further transmit the message from the interface to the terminal of the other of the buyer and supplier.    
     
     
         11 . The system for carrying out a transaction as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said server is programmed to search and identify an item that meets the one buyer's description, and to transmit an order from the buyer to be stored on the database, the order comprising an identification of the one buyer, a description of the one item and an identification of the one supplier.  
     
     
         12 . The system for carrying out a transaction as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said server is programmed to construct a response to a buyer's order comprising the identification of the buyer, a response by the one buyer and an identification of the one supplier, and to transmit the response from the one supplier to be stored on said database.  
     
     
         13 . A method of constructing a searchable database that stores at least one catalogue of items that may be bought by at least one buyer and are supplied by at least one supplier, the database being coupled to a server that is programmed to communicate over a network with a terminal of the buyer and a terminal of the supplier, said method comprising the steps of: 
 a) the one supplier selecting which of its items that are to be included in its catalogue;    b) the supplier attaching to each selected item a description of that item; and    c) then storing each item and attached description in a database, whereby the buyer may search the catalog of items stored in the database based on the descriptions of the items.    
     
     
         14 . The method of constructing a searchable database as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein there is further included the step of the supplier further attaching to each selected item an identification of the supplier of each of the selected items.  
     
     
         15 . The method of constructing a searchable database as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein there is further included the step of the supplier further attaching to each selected item an identification of the one buyer.  
     
     
         16 . A method of managing a system to carry out transactions involving the purchase by each of a plurality of buyers of selected of a plurality of items, selected of the plurality of items being supplied by corresponding ones of a plurality of suppliers, each of the plurality of buyers and each of said plurality of suppliers having a terminal and being assigned a unique ID, each of the buyer terminals and the supplier terminals being connected to a network, the system being connected to the network, the system comprising a server and a database, said managing method comprising the steps of: 
 a) initially obtaining from each of the plurality of buyers and suppliers their unique ID to be stored in the database;    b) subsequently receiving and comparing the ID of each of the plurality of buyers who seeks access to the system and, if there is a match, granting to that buyer or supplier access to the system; and    c) effecting a plurality of transactions, each transaction involving the potential purchase by the buyer of at least one of item supplied by one supplier.    
     
     
         17 . The method of managing a system to carry out purchase transactions as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein there is further included the step of creating a record of each of the plurality of transactions and attaching to each of the records the ID of each of the buyer and supplier involved in the transaction.  
     
     
         18 . The method of managing a system to carry out purchase transactions as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein there is further include the step of storing each of the records in the database.  
     
     
         19 . The method of managing a system to carry out purchase transactions as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein there is further included the step of granting to at least one of the plurality of buyers or one of the plurality of suppliers access to a particular record if the buyer or the supplier has an ID that matches the one ID that is attached to the particular record.  
     
     
         20 . A method of managing the selecting and purchasing at least one item by a buyer, said managing method comprising the steps of: 
 a) associating with each of the plurality of distinct items a definition which defines the variables of its item; and    b) constructing a screen displaying the variables of the selected item in accordance with the definition of the selected item.    
     
     
         21 . The method of managing the selecting and purchasing at least one item as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein there is further include the step of displaying the screen to the one buyer to prompt the one buyer to set the values of the variables.  
     
     
         22 . The method of managing the selecting and purchasing at least one item as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein there is a library of markings and there is further included the step of facilitating the buyer to select one of the markings of the library.  
     
     
         23 . The method of managing the selecting and purchasing at least one item as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein there is further included the step of constructing an order comprising the identification of the item, an image of the selected marking and an identification of the supplier.  
     
     
         24 . The method of managing the selecting and purchasing of at least one item as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the item is a promotional product and the marking is a logo.  
     
     
         25 . A method of constructing a unique screen that displays a price matrix for at least one particular item, the item includes a definition of the variables associated with the item, said method of constructing comprising the steps of: 
 a) reiteratively changing each of the plurality of variables;    b) for each reiteration of each of the variables, attaching a corresponding price matrix dependent on the values of each of the plurality of variables for that reiteration;    c) storing in a database for each reiteration the values for each of the corresponding variables and the corresponding price matrix; and    d) constructing a screen for a set of variables of particular values by accessing the database to determine the price matrix corresponding to the set of variable of the particular values, and by composing the screen to include the set of values for the variables and the corresponding price matrix.    
     
     
         26 . A database structure to facilitate communications over a network between any of a plurality of suppliers of items and any of a plurality of buyers of the items, said database structure comprising: 
 a) a buyers' memory structure comprising a plurality of sections, one section for each buyer for storing an ID unique to its buyer and the orders initiated by that buyer; and    b) a supplier memory structure comprising a plurality of sections, one for each supplier for storing an ID unique to that supplier and at least one catalog of the items of each supplier.    
     
     
         27 . The database structure to facilitate communications over a network as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the database is adapted for use with a server, the communications relate to the purchase of the item supplied by the suppliers and offered for sale to the buyers, each of the suppliers and buyers having a terminal, and each of the suppliers having at least one catalog of its items.  
     
     
         28 . The database structure to facilitate communications as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said supplier section stores a definition of each item supplied by the corresponding supplier.  
     
     
         29 . The database structure to facilitate communications as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein said supplier section stores an image for selected items supplied by corresponding suppliers.  
     
     
         30 . The database structure to facilitate communications as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein said supplier section stores a plurality of sets of values of item variables as determined by the corresponding buyer of that item.  
     
     
         31 . A method of controlling communications over a network between at least one supplier of at least one item and at least one buyer to whom that one item is offered for sale, said method comprising the steps of: 
 a) receiving and storing a message in a memory from the buyer that relates to the item and includes an identification of the supplier that supplies the item; and    b) searching the memory for all messages with an identification that matches that of the supplier of the item.    
     
     
         32 . The method of controlling communications as claimed in  claim 31 , wherein said method controls the operation of at least one server to communicate over the network, each of the one suppler and the one buyer having a terminal, and the server being associated with the memory.  
     
     
         33 . The method of controlling communications as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein there is further included the step of programming the one server to construct a supplier site to communicate over the network to the supplier terminal and to construct a buyer cite to communicate over the net work to the buyer terminal.  
     
     
         34 . The method of operating at least one server as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the server is further programmed to respond to the storing of the first message in the memory to send a second message to the terminal of the supplier identified in the first message to prompt the identified supplier to search the memory for the first message.  
     
     
         35 . The method of operating at least one servers as claimed in  claim 34 , wherein there is further included the step of permissioning only the supplier of the one item to search the memory and to access the first message.  
     
     
         36 . A method of operating a searchable database to facilitate at least one buyer to select a certain one of a plurality of items that matches a description of the item sought by the one buyer, the plurality of items being variously supplied by a plurality of suppliers, each supplier supplying a set of its items, said operating method comprising the steps of: 
 a) storing a plurality of files in the searchable database, each of the plurality of files comprising an identification of at least one item, a description of the one item and an identification of the particular supplier that supplied the one item, and    b) facilitating each of the plurality of buyers to search the plurality of files stored in the searchable database for an item whose description matches the description of the one buyer and to withdraw from the database any file with an item that matches the buyer's description.    
     
     
         37 . The method of operating a searchable data base as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein each of the buyers constructs an order comprising the withdrawn file, an identification of the corresponding buyer, an identification of the corresponding item and an identification of the corresponding supplier of the item.  
     
     
         38 . The method of operating a searchable database as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein there is included a library of markings, and there is further included the step of selecting at least one marking from the library and include an identification of that marking with the order.  
     
     
         39 . A method of constructing a searchable database to facilitate each of a plurality of buyers to select certain ones of a plurality of items that matches an item description of each buyer, the plurality of items being variously supplied by a plurality of suppliers, each supplier supplying a set of its items, said constructing method comprising the steps of: 
 a) constructing for each of the plurality of items an identification of the one item, a description of the one item to be matched with the item description of one of the plurality of buyers, and an indication of the particular supplier that supplied the one item;    b) repeating step a) for each item of the set for each supplier; and    c) storing the files for a particular supplier in a distinct section of the database.    
     
     
         40 . The method of constructing a searchable database as claimed in  claim 39 , wherein in step a) the file is constructed to include an identification of the one item.  
     
     
         41 . The method of constructing a searchable database as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein in step a) the file is constructed to include a description of the one item to be matched with the item description of one of the plurality of buyers.  
     
     
         42 . The method of constructing a searchable database as claimed in  claim 39 , wherein in step a) the file is constructed to include a definition of the variables of the item.  
     
     
         43 . The method of constructing a searchable database as claimed in  claim 42 , wherein there is further included the step of constructing a screen displaying the variables of the selected item in accordance with the definition of the selected item.  
     
     
         44 . A method of controlling the communications over a network between at least one supplier of at least one item and at least one buyer to whom that one item is offered for sale, said method comprising the steps of: 
 a) receiving a first message from the buyer that relates to the one item and includes an identification of the supplier that supplies the one item;    b) storing the first message in a memory; and    c) responding to the storing of the first message in the memory to send a second message to the supplier identified by the supplier identification to indicate that the first message has been stored in the memory.    
     
     
         45 . The method of controlling communications as claimed in  claim 44 , wherein there is included a step of searching the memory for the first message using an identification that matches that of the supplier of the item whereby the one supplier gains access to the first message.