Managing information about inventory

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for managing inventory in e-commerce. A method may be provided that may include segmenting a quantity of a specific product in inventory into a plurality of inventory leases having a smaller quantity of the specific product. A lease management server may distribute at least one inventory lease. At least one of the specific products may be selected by the inventory management server for reservation. A rate of selection of the specific products from each of the respective inventory leases may be determined. The determined rate of selection may be analyzed to determine when the quantity in the respective inventory lease will reach a minimum quantity in the respective inventory lease. An indication of when a request for a new inventory lease is to be sent to the lease manager server may be provided.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A method for managing information about inventory, comprising:
 preparing, by a first server and for a second server that corresponds to a specific geographic location, a corresponding inventory lease that specifies a sub-quantity and an expiration time, the sub-quantity being of a total quantity of an inventory of a specific product available for distribution within a specific duration of time; and   transmitting, from the first server to the second server via an electronic network, the corresponding inventory lease, the corresponding inventory lease configured to allow the second server to process an order, from a user device proximate to the second server, for the specific product rather than having the order processed by a different second server more distant from the user device than the second server, thereby reducing processing bottlenecks, and configured to limit an amount of the specific product distributed, prior to the expiration time, to the first sub-quantity.