Method and system for online sales and purchase

Abstract

Internet-based commercial network connects multiple qualified participant buyers and sellers. Items are made available for defined periods of time, referred to as an event (139). Event terms and conditions include item types, price, quantity, volume or units, discount, shipping terms (138). Reiterative offer and counteroffers permit negotiation of terms for an event. Participants may view anonymous competitive quotes for comparison and analysis. Pooled purchases and auctions are envisioned. Participants may create web presences and are subject to restrictions on access (141) and purchase (142) authority. Central system maintains participant data.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] Priority is claimed from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 239,141, for subject matter common to that contained herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to a system, software and method for computerized procurement, sales, or contract formation using a computer network, and more particularly to a system, software and method using the internet to establish multi-item procurement, sale or contracting events. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] For any product that can be described and priced per item, per weight or by how it is packaged, procurement has often been inefficient and time consuming for purchasers and sellers alike. This applies to retail grocery and healthcare businesses and any that regularly purchase a variety of items from various sources. Additionally, past procurement methods have not been certain to bring purchasers the best purchase terms available, or to assure sellers a reasonable oppor...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] Further, purchasing events may be spot buys. This event is opened to cover a pressing need for a particular item or items. That may arise from a shortage occurring because, for example, a retailer-buyer has run a sale on the particular item, because the retailer—seller wishes to extend a particularly successful promotion, or because a retailer-buyer has scheduled an ad for a particular item. The immediate need may be heightened by the buyer's inability to purchase the desired item from the buyer's usual suppliers. The spot buy event enables a spur of the moment buy to cover a real or anticipated shortage.

Problems solved by technology

For any product that can be described and priced per item, per weight or by how it is packaged, procurement has often been inefficient and time consuming for purchasers and sellers alike.

Additionally, past procurement methods have not been certain to bring purchasers the best purchase terms available, or to assure sellers a reasonable opportunity to fairly compete.

This practice has been inefficient, time consuming and not competitive.

Sellers have been unable to react to competitive offers and purchasers have been denied the benefit of such reactive pricing.

These sites are not tailored to a particular business's procurement practices, however.

They do not afford the opportunity for a business purchaser to schedule an event among recognized, qualified business suppliers, during which many items required by the business purchaser are posted by that purchaser, and suppliers are unable to quote against one another, not just on price, but on other terms important to both the selling and purchasing parties.

In addition prior sites have not allowed for actual negotiation of contract terms of a negotiated contract.

Images