Methods and apparatus for transferring product information from manufacturers to retailers and distributors via the Internet

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for disseminating over the Internet product information produced and maintained by product manufacturers using existing universal product codes (bar codes) as access keys. A cross-referencing resource preferably implemented by the existing Internet Domain Name System (DNS) receives Internet request messages containing all or part of a universal product code value and returns the Internet address at which data or services relating to the identified product, or to the manufacturer of that product, may be obtained. By using preferred Web data storage formats and protocol which conform to XML, XLS, XLink, Xpointer, RDF and Web service standards specifications, product and company information may be seamlessly identified, retrieved and integrated with information from other sources. A “web register” module can be employed to provide an Internet interface between a shared sales Internet server and an otherwise conventional inventory control system, and operates in conjunction with the cross-referencing server to provide detailed product information to Internet shoppers who may purchase goods from existing stores via the Internet.

1 . A method for transferring product description data via the Internet from a plurality of product description data storage facilities operated on behalf of manufacturers to a plurality of data utilization facilities operated on behalf of retailers comprising, in combination: 
 employing each of said product data storage facilities to store information describing a plurality of products designated by universal product codes,    employing a registration database to accept and store registration data submitted on behalf of each of said manufacturers, said registration data specifying the Internet address to which a request message may be transmitted to obtain a structured data record containing information about a product designated by a particular universal product code value,    transmitting an address lookup request to said registration database from a requesting data utilization facility operated on behalf of a requesting retailer, said address lookup request containing a specified universal product code,    employing said registration database to respond to said address lookup request to identify the destination Internet address to which a data request message may be transmitted to obtain a structured data record containing information about said the product designated by said specified universal product code,    transmitting a product data request message to said destination Internet address identified by said registration database in response to said address lookup request,    receiving said product data request message at the product data storage facility specified by said specific destination Internet address,    responding to said product data request message by transmitting a structured data record to said requesting data utilization facility, said structured data record containing information about said product designated by said specified universal product code and having a format that conforms to standards specified by predetermined schemas promulgated by an industry or inter-industry group, and    transferring all or part of said information about said product designated by said specified universal product code into an inventory database utilized by said requesting retailer.    
     
     
         2 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  further including the step, performed prior to said step of transmitting an address lookup request to said registration database, of employing a barcode scanner to capture said specified universal product code from goods in the inventory of said requesting retailer.  
     
     
         3 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  further including the step, performed prior to said step of transmitting an address lookup request to said registration database, of acquiring said specified universal product code from an electronic catalog made available by the manufacturer of said particular product.  
     
     
         4 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  further including the step, performed prior to said step of transmitting an address lookup request to said registration database, of acquiring said specified universal product code using an Electronic Document Exchange (EDI) system.  
     
     
         5 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said structured data record is expressed in Extended Markup Language (XML).  
     
     
         6 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said step of employing a registration database to accept and store registration data submitted on behalf of each of said manufacturers includes the step of insuring that said registration data are submitted only persons having the authority to create or alter the registration data submitted.  
     
     
         7 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said destination Internet address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.  
     
     
         8 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 7  wherein said product data request message is transmitted via the Internet to said destination Internet address using the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP).  
     
     
         9 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 8  wherein said structured data record is an XML document transmitted via the Internet to said requesting data utilization facility using the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP).  
     
     
         10 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said registration data submitted on behalf of at least some of said manufacturers specifies the uniform resource locator (URL) of an Internet resource to which request messages may be transmitted.  
     
     
         11 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said registration database employs one or more servers connected to the Internet to receive address lookup requests using the hypertext transport protocol (HTTP).  
     
     
         12 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said registration database employs one or more servers using the Light-weight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to respond to address lookup requests received via the Internet.  
     
     
         13 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said registration database employs the Internet Domain Name Service to identify said destination Internet address.  
     
     
         14 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising the step, performed by said registration database, of storing additional cross-referencing data that establishes relationships between company identification code values and corresponding Internet addresses to which data request messages may be transmitted to obtain the structured data records containing information about companies designated by said company identification code values.  
     
     
         15 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 14  further comprises the step of automatically establish EDI connections in order to perform EDI transactions between said retailers and companies identified by said company identification code values.  
     
     
         16 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said schemas promulgated by an industry or inter-industry group specify the content and format of data records which describe particular classes of products in particular industries.  
     
     
         17 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said registration data submitted on behalf of each of said manufacturers includes: 
 (1) an identification of a group of one or more universal product codes,    (2) the Internet address to which requests for information concerning products specified by said group of one or more universal product codes may be sent,    (3) information describing the manufacturer on whose behalf the registration data is submitted, including a company identification code value and an address, and    (4) the date upon which the registration data was submitted.    
     
     
         18 . The method for transferring product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 17  further comprising the steps of: 
 storing additional cross-referencing data in said registration database that establishes relationships between company identification code values and corresponding Internet addresses to which data request messages may be transmitted to obtain the structured data records containing information about companies designated by said company identification code values; and    performing EDI transactions between said retailers and manufacturers identified by said company identification code values.    
     
     
         19 . A system for disseminating product description data via the Internet comprising, in combination, 
 a plurality of product information database servers, each of which is operated on behalf of one or more manufacturers, for responding to incoming messages directed to designated Internet addresses by returning structured data records containing information describing products designated by universal product codes contained in said incoming messages, said structured data records having a format that conforms to an established product description schema promulgated by an industry or inter-industry group,    a registration database for storing cross-references submitted by or on behalf of said manufacturers, each of said cross-references associating one or more specific universal product codes with a corresponding designated Internet address to which a message may be directed to obtain the structured data records describing the products designated by said specific universal product codes from one of said product information database servers,    an inventory database operated by a reseller or distributor that obtains products said manufacturers, said inventory database storing a plurality of inventory data records each of which contains a particular universal product code, said inventory database further including an Internet connection for transmitting an outbound data request message specifying said particular universal product code,    a product code translator for receiving said outbound data request message from said inventory database, for performing a search of said registration database to lookup the destination address that corresponds to said particular universal product code, and for redirecting said data request message from said inventory database to said destination address to request said information database server connected at said destination address to return a structured data record describing the product designated by said particular universal product code to said inventory database.    
     
     
         20 . The system for disseminating product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said structured data record returned by said product information database server is expressed in Extended Markup Language (XML).  
     
     
         21 . The system for disseminating product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said registration database further stores company identification code values that designate the manufacturer of products designated by a set of universal product codes and wherein said product code translator further performs a lookup search in response to a request for information about a particular manufacturer to identify all of the registered universal product codes assigned to that manufacturer.  
     
     
         22 . The system for disseminating product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said registration database employs a registration handler for insuring that cross-references are submitted or altered only by authorized persons.  
     
     
         23 . The-system for disseminating product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said registration database for storing cross-references submitted by or on behalf of manufacturers employs a web server for accepting completed HTML registration forms submitted using a Web browser program.  
     
     
         24 . The system for disseminating product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said designated Internet address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.  
     
     
         25 . The system for disseminating product description data via the Internet as set forth in  claim 19  wherein outbound data request messages and said structured data records are transmitted via the Internet using the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP).  
     
     
         26 . A system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers via the Internet comprising, in combination: 
 a plurality of inventory data storage facilities each of which is operated on behalf of at least one retailer or distributor and each of which is connected to the Internet to transmit requests for and to receive product description information describing products designated by universal product codes,    a plurality of separate product information storage facilities each of which is operated on behalf of one or more manufacturers and each of which stores information describing a plurality of products each of which is designated by a universal product code, each of said product data storage facilities being connected to the Internet to receive and respond to data requests for product description information that are directed to a specified Internet address, and    a product code translation facility comprising: 
 a registration database for storing cross-references supplied on behalf of said manufacturers which associate specified universal product codes and the Internet addresses to which data requests may be transmitted to obtain information describing products designated by said specified universal product codes specified in said requests,  
 an Internet connection for receiving lookup requests containing said specified universal product codes transmitted from said inventory data storage facilities, and  
 a lookup processor for responding to said lookup requests by searching said registration database to translate said specified universal product codes contained in said lookup requests into destination Internet addresses from which information describing products designated by said specified universal product codes may be obtained.  
   
     
     
         27 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 26  wherein each of said inventory data storage facilities includes an inventory database containing a structured data record which describes an individual product and includes a particular universal product code designating said individual product, and wherein said inventory data storage facility transmits lookup requests to said registration database containing said particular universal product code to obtain requested product description data and then inserts said requested product data into said structured data record.  
     
     
         28 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 27  wherein said particular universal product code is obtained from goods in inventory using a barcode scanner.  
     
     
         29 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 27  wherein said particular universal product code is obtained from an electronic catalog made available by the manufacturer of said particular product.  
     
     
         30 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 27  wherein said particular universal product code is obtained from an Electronic Document Exchange (EDI) system.  
     
     
         31 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 27  wherein each of said structured records stored in said inventory database includes count numbers indicating the quantity on hand and quantity on order of each of said individual products.  
     
     
         32 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 26  wherein said product description information describing products designated by universal product codes comprise structured data records having a format that conforms to a standard specified by a predetermined schema promulgated by an industry or inter-industry group.  
     
     
         33 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 32  wherein said structured data records are expressed in Extended Markup Language (XML).  
     
     
         34 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 32  wherein said structured data records have a format that conforms to standards specified by predetermined schemas promulgated by one or more industry or inter-industry groups.  
     
     
         35 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 34  wherein said structured data records are expressed in Extended Markup Language (XML).  
     
     
         36 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 35  wherein said schemas specify the content and format of data records which describe particular classes of products in particular industries.  
     
     
         37 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 26  wherein said cross-references supplied on behalf of said manufacturers include the identification of one or more universal product codes, the Internet address to which a request message may be transmitted to obtain information describing the product designated by said one or more universal product code, and an identification of the manufacturer of the products designated by said one or more universal product codes.  
     
     
         38 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 26  wherein said product code translation facility redirects lookup requests received from said inventory data storage facilities to said destination Internet addresses.  
     
     
         39 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 26  wherein the cross-references submitted on behalf of at least some of said manufacturers specifies the uniform resource locator (URL) of an Internet resource to which request messages may be transmitted and wherein said registration database employs the Internet Domain Name Service convert said URL into said destination Internet address.  
     
     
         40 . The system for delivering product description data from manufacturers to stores distributors and retailers as set forth in  claim 26  wherein said registration database stores further relationships between company identification code values and corresponding Internet addresses to which data request messages may be transmitted to obtain the structured data records containing information about companies designated by said company identification code values and wherein said a lookup processor responds to company lookup requests by searching said registration database to translate specified company identification code values contained into destination Internet addresses from which information describing companies designated by said specified company identification code values may be obtained.