Shared Electronic Basket with Hierarchy

Abstract

To provide a shared electronic basket, a corresponding method and system for controlling the shared basket in order to simplify an ordering process across organizations.SOLUTION: A method 100 includes: a step 110 of releasing an article in a basket by an entity of an article release plane 100A; a step 120 of generating an identifier of the basket by an entity of an order release plane 100B; a step 130 of sharing the identifier of the basket with an entity of an order plane 100C in a hierarchy; a step 150 of selecting an article as a position in the basket by the entity of the order plane; a step 170 of checking the basket by the entity of the order release plane; and a step 190 of performing ordering according to check results by an entity of article release or an entity in the order release plane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to shared electronic baskets and corresponding methods and systems for controlling shared baskets through a hierarchy, and in particular to an authorization system for controlling and managing shared baskets within a closed organization. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic baskets or web-based shopping carts are routinely used to process purchase and / or order transactions on electronic platforms, simplifying these processes for users. For example, the online marketplace eBay offers an electronic basket where items can be stored and kept stored while the user continues shopping. The user can eventually proceed to an electronic cash register to pay for one or several of the stored items. It is known from EP 3376457 A1 to pay for an order by multiple payers.

[0003] From US 2006 / 122895 A1, links between a shopper's shopping cart and other shopping carts are known, where the shopper is allowed in one shopping cart to access objects in the other shopping cart by means of access rights.

[0004] U.S. Patent No. 6,876,977 further discloses an electronic basket that can be selectively put into multiple states and that can be accessed by multiple users simultaneously. An additional step is to assign different abilities to affect the state of the basket to each user, so that each user can simultaneously view the state of the basket and can affect the state of the basket one at a time, collaboratively selecting and approving items for purchase.

[0005] However, electronic baskets or web-based shopping carts known in the prior art have the disadvantage that they are not centrally managed and controlled, thus leading to inefficient ordering processes within closed organizations, such as redundant orders and / or multiple orders, which increases costs and / or does not allow for volume discounts that would otherwise be available in the case of joint orders. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 3376457 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 122895 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 6,876,977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a shared electronic basket and corresponding method and system for controlling the shared basket to simplify the ordering process across organizations. It is desirable for the ordering process to be easily manageable and controllable.

[0008] A further object of the present invention is to enable bulk ordering for one or several organizations to reduce delivery costs such as packaging and shipping, or to realize available savings such as discounts.

[0009] It is yet another object of the present invention to improve order planning, for example by connection to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and / or by automation using artificial intelligence. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The above-mentioned problems are solved by the present invention, in particular by standardizing the ordering process for multiple customers in one or more divisions of an organization, thereby benefiting from scaling effects such as reduced technical effort to process orders and / or cost savings due to larger order volumes.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for ordering goods by using a shared electronic basket having a hierarchy includes the steps of releasing a product in the basket by at least one entity in a first plane of the hierarchy, generating an identifier for the basket by at least one entity in a second plane of the hierarchy, sharing the identifier for the basket with a plurality of entities in a third plane in the hierarchy by at least one entity in the second plane, selecting a product for a position in the basket by at least one of the plurality of entities in the third plane, checking the basket by at least one entity in the second plane, and ordering according to a result of the check by at least one entity in the first plane or at least one entity in the second plane.

[0012] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a system for ordering products by using a shared electronic basket having a hierarchy comprises means configured by at least one entity in a first plane of the hierarchy to release products in the basket, means configured by at least one entity in a second plane of the hierarchy to generate an identifier for the basket, means configured by at least one entity in the second plane to share the identifier of the basket with a plurality of entities in a third plane in the hierarchy, means configured by at least one of the plurality of entities in the third plane to select a product for a position in the basket, means configured by at least one entity in the second plane to check the basket, and means configured by the at least one entity in the first plane or the at least one entity in the second plane to place an order according to a result of the check.

[0013] Advantageous further designs and configurations emerge from the dependent claims and the description with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The above-mentioned designs and further configurations can be combined with one another in any way that is advantageous. Possible further designs, configurations and embodiments of the invention also include combinations of the (not explicitly) features described above or below with reference to the exemplary embodiments, whereby a person skilled in the art will be able to apply individual aspects, in particular as improvements or additions, to the respective basic forms of the invention.

[0015] The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments shown in schematic drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example process for ordering products using a shared electronic basket with tiers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are provided to provide a broader understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment and, together with the description herein, serve to explain the principles and concepts of the present invention. Other embodiments and many of the advantages discussed above will become apparent from the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not intended to be limiting of the particular design in the drawings shown.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary process 100 of product ordering using a shared electronic basket with hierarchies. The process includes multiple steps and hierarchies. Each step is assigned to at least one hierarchical plane. An entity in each plane has the authority to perform each step. Several entities may perform each step individually or jointly. The hierarchy of the illustrated process may include multiple planes. In the preferred example shown in FIG. 1, the hierarchy includes three planes: product release plane 100A, order release plane 100B, and order plane 100C.

[0019] <Product Release Plane 100A> The entity of the product release plane 100A can be one or more natural persons and / or artificial intelligence in an organization. The entity of the product release plane 100A has the authority to release 110 the products in the basket. The entity of the product release plane 100A can also have the authority to place orders according to the checked basket. The entity of the product release plane 100A can also have the authority to link catalogs of different suppliers to the basket, for example by using a predefined standard format that provides an electronic interface to one or more suppliers.

[0020] <Order Release Plane 100B> The entities of the order release plane 100A may be one or more natural persons and / or artificial intelligences in an organization. The entities of the order release plane 100B have the authority to generate 120 an identifier for the basket (e.g., "Shopping Card ID, SCID"). The entities of the order release plane 100B may further have the authority to define the attributes of the basket. The attributes of the basket may be at least one or more of the following: order notes, a deadline by which products can be added to the basket, an order window with start and end dates, budgets or purchase limits for each organization, each sub-organization, each customer, or organizations (see order plane 100C) that have the authority to order by using the basket. The attributes may in particular be a threshold value for the quantity of a particular product that must be exceeded before the basket is closed.

[0021] Entities in the order release plane 100B have the power to share 120 and close 160 baskets, optionally under restrictions according to defined attributes. In the order release plane 100B, baskets can also be manually closed. For closed baskets, further changes are no longer possible in the order plane 100C, whereas changes are still possible in the order release plane 100B as part of the checks.

[0022] In this manner, an entity in the order release plane 100B may have the authority to check 170 the basket, optionally taking into account attributes such as reaching a threshold. As a result of the check 170, a decision may be made and / or an action may be initiated in the order plane 100C, which may include, for example, rejecting, prioritizing, suspending, releasing an order, or a combination thereof, of an item stored as a position in the basket. In addition or as an alternative to the order release plane 100B, an entity in the item release plane 100A may also have the authority to place 190 orders according to the checked basket.

[0023] An action may be, for example, a notice 180 to the customer following the outcome of the check 170 and / or an order 190 following the outcome of the check.

[0024] <Order Plane 100C> An entity in order release plane 100A may be one or more natural persons and / or artificial intelligences in an organization. An entity in order plane 100C, like order release plane 100B, may have the authority to share baskets, optionally subject to restrictions according to defined attributes, such as that a basket may only be shared with entities in one organization. However, in order plane 100C, an entity may also have the authority to share baskets with any number of further entities within and / or outside the organization or sub-organization.

[0025] An entity in the order plane 100C can register 140 a basket. With respect to the basket, registration 140 of an authorized entity can be done by providing, for example, an email, a cost center, an organizational division, an address of the entity, or a combination of these. It is also possible to authenticate the registered entity to verify that the entity is authorized with respect to the basket. A registered entity in the order plane 100C can have the authority to select 150 a product in order to place it in the basket as a position. The authorization can be revoked again from the registered entity, for example by blocking the entity from the system. Changes can be made to the basket in the order plane, for example deleting a position, until the basket is closed in the order release plane 130. In the order plane, an entity can only have the authority to change its own position. In the order plane, an entity can further have the authority to specify attributes of the position. The attributes of the position can be at least one of notes, rationale, and priority.

[0026] Lower priority positions can be put on hold in order release plane 100B. When changes to the basket are made in order release plane 100B (e.g., an order is put on hold or rejected), entities in order plane 100C can be notified of the changes in order release plane 100B via registration.

[0027] <Chronological example of the method> A method for ordering by using a shared electronic basket with tiers may include one or more of the following steps. That is, the method includes a step 110 of releasing items in a basket by an entity in a first plane 100A in the hierarchy, a step 120 of generating an identifier for the basket having one or more attributes by an entity in a second plane 100B in the hierarchy, a step 130 of sharing the identifier for the basket with multiple entities in a third plane 100C in the hierarchy by at least one entity in the second plane 100B, a step 140 of registering the basket by an entity in the third plane 100C, a step 150 of selecting items by an entity registered in the third plane 100C, a step 160 of closing the basket by an entity in the second plane 100B, a step 170 of checking the basket by an entity in the second plane 100B, a step 180 of notifying the entity in the third plane 100C according to the result of the check 170 by the entity in the second plane 100B, and a step 190 of placing an order according to the result of the check 170 by the entity in the first plane 100A or the second plane 100B.

[0028] The method may include generating a hierarchical shared electronic basket based on a previous hierarchical shared electronic basket (not shown). For example, the exemplary method described above may include this step.

[0029] The generation of the basket may also include analyzing the ordering behavior of the entities or groups of entities in the planes in the hierarchy in order to make ordering suggestions by using artificial intelligence. The ordering suggestions may for example be related to time intervals or annual supplies or to the behavior of one or more entities. Fixed procurement cycles may optionally be set, which allows the basket to be generated automatically. The entities of the third plane 100C may be automatically and repeatedly informed about the generated basket.

[0030] Exemplary Computer Program Products One or several of the above-mentioned method steps can be implemented in a computer program product. The method steps can be implemented in each computer program product in the planes of the hierarchy, in particular for using and / or controlling the basket according to the authority of each plane.

[0031] Exemplary Systems A distributed system for implementing the method of ordering by using a shared electronic basket with a hierarchy can be fully or partially cloud-based and / or can comprise one or several processors and one or several communicatively coupled and non-volatile computer-readable storage media, which are individually or collectively configured to implement one or several of the method steps described above. Individual devices in the system can be individually configured to, among other things, use or control the basket according to the authority of each plane and to implement the method steps of the planes in the hierarchy.

[0032] In one or several examples of the above detailed description, various features are briefly described and / or summarized for the purpose of increasing precision. However, it is obvious that the above description is merely illustrative and not restrictive. The above description serves the purpose of encompassing all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents of the various features and exemplary embodiments. Many other examples will be readily and directly apparent to those skilled in the art based on their expertise in view of the above description.

[0033] The exemplary embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles on which the invention is based and the options for practical application, so that those skilled in the art can best modify and use the invention and its various exemplary embodiments with respect to the intended purposes.

[0034] In the claims and specification, the terms "including" and "having" are used as linguistically neutral terms with respect to their corresponding term "comprising." Moreover, the use of the term "a" does not generally exclude a plurality of features or components so listed.

Claims

1. A method (100) for ordering goods by using a system for ordering goods by using a shared electronic basket having a hierarchy, the system comprising: using said system to authorize at least one entity in a first plane (100A) of said hierarchy to release items in said shared electronic basket; authorizing, using said system, at least one entity in a second plane (100B) of said hierarchy to generate identifiers for said shared electronic baskets; using the system to authorize at least one entity in the second plane (100B) of the hierarchy to share the identifier of the shared electronic basket with multiple entities in a third plane (100C) of the hierarchy; using said system to authorize at least one entity in a third plane (100C) of said hierarchy to add said item to said shared electronic basket; using the system to authorize at least one entity in the second plane (100B) of the hierarchy to check the shared electronic basket; granting, using said system, to at least one entity in said first plane (100A) or at least one entity in said second plane (100B) of said hierarchy, the authority to place an order according to the result of the check; Releasing (110) items in the shared electronic basket by at least one entity in the first plane (100A) of the hierarchy using the device; generating (120) an identifier for the shared electronic basket by at least one entity in the second plane (100B) of the hierarchy using the device; Sharing (130), by at least one entity in the second plane (100B) using the device, the identifier of the shared electronic basket with a plurality of entities in the third plane (100C) in the hierarchy; adding (150) said item to said shared electronic basket by at least one of said plurality of entities in said third plane (100C) using said device; checking (170) the shared electronics basket with at least one entity in the second plane (100B) using the device; a step (190) of ordering according to the result of said checking step (170) by at least one entity in said first plane (100A) or at least one entity in said second plane (100B) using said device; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method (100) of claim 1, comprising: authorizing, by the system, at least one entity in a second plane (100B) of the hierarchy to define attributes of the shared electronic basket; and defining attributes of the shared electronics basket with at least one entity in the second plane (100B) using the device.

3. 3. The method (100) of claim 2, wherein defining the attributes of the shared electronic basket includes defining a threshold quantity of the product to order.

4. A method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: authorizing, by the system, at least one entity in a third plane (100C) of the hierarchy to register authorized entities in the shared electronic basket; registering (140) an authorized entity in the shared electronic basket by the at least one entity in the third plane (100C) using the device; The method further comprises:

5. A method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: granting, by the system, to at least one entity in a second plane (100B) of the hierarchy authority to close the shared electronic basket; closing (160) the shared electronics basket by the at least one entity in the second plane (100B) using the device; The method further comprises:

6. 4. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the checking (170) of the shared electronic basket comprises: rejecting the items added to the shared electronic basket; prioritizing the products added to the shared electronic basket; placing a hold on the items added to the shared electronic basket; Releasing the items added to the shared electronic basket; The method includes at least one of the following:

7. A method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a step (180) of notifying the at least one entity of the plurality of entities in the third plane (100C) according to a result of the check (170).

8. The method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: analyzing an order behavior of the at least one entity of the plurality of entities in the third plane (100C) by using artificial intelligence.

9. 10. The method (100) of claim 8, further comprising: making order suggestions based on results of the analysis on order behavior.

10. 1. A system for ordering products by using a shared electronic basket having a hierarchy, comprising: The system authorizes at least one entity in a first plane (100A) of the hierarchy to release items in the shared electronic basket; The system authorizes at least one entity in a second plane (100B) of the hierarchy to generate identifiers for the shared electronic baskets; The system authorizes at least one entity in a second plane (100B) of the hierarchy to share the identifier of the shared electronic basket with multiple entities in a third plane (100C) of the hierarchy; The system authorizes at least one entity in a third plane (100C) of the hierarchy to add the item to the shared electronic basket; The system authorizes at least one entity in a second plane (100B) of the hierarchy to check the shared electronic basket; The system grants the right to order at least one entity in the first plane (100A) or at least one entity in the second plane (100B) according to the result of the check. A device (110) configured to release the products of the shared electronic basket by at least one entity in the first plane (100A) of the hierarchy. A device (120) configured to generate an identifier of the shared electronic basket by at least one entity in the second plane (100B) of the hierarchy. A device (130) configured to share the identifier of the shared electronic basket with a plurality of entities in the third plane (100C) in the hierarchy by at least one entity in the second plane (100B). A device (150) configured to add the products to the shared electronic basket by at least one entity of the plurality of entities in the third plane (100C). A device (170) configured to check the shared electronic basket by at least one entity in the second plane (100B). A device (190) configured to order according to the result of the check (170) by at least one entity in the first plane (100A) or at least one entity in the second plane (100B). A system comprising the above.

Images