Quoter Objects for Retailing Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Internet-based retailing systems face complexity in providing a uniform interface for remote customers to design, order, and receive products from multiple vendors, especially for customized printed labels, due to the vast number of parameters and ever-changing vendor capabilities, leading to high software engineering and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of flexible and dynamic manufacturing and retailing systems using instantiated quoter objects that communicate with remote vendors to obtain information, process orders, and provide a uniform interface for customers, allowing for interactive design and ordering through decision support systems and various communication media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a uniform retail interface is provided for customers to order products from multiple remote vendors, then customer convenience and system standardization are improved, but software engineering complexity and maintenance costs increase due to the vast number of parameters and ever-changing vendor capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the retailing system with quoter objects) that sits between customers and multiple vendor interfaces. This intermediary standardizes customer interactions while handling the complexity of interfacing with diverse vendors behind the scenes, resolving the contradiction by shielding customers from vendor-specific complexities.
Solution Approach 2:
The retailing system implements a universal interface that can handle multiple vendors and product types through a single standardized entry point. The quoter objects are designed to be vendor-agnostic, allowing the same customer interface to work across different vendors despite their varying capabilities and parameter requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the retailing system integrates deeply with multiple vendor interfaces to handle customized products, then product customization capability is improved, but system complexity and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into distinct modular components: customer interface, quoter objects (one per vendor), and vendor interfaces. Each quoter object is an independent, self-contained module that handles customization for a specific vendor, allowing the system to support multiple vendors without creating monolithic complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic quoter objects that can be instantiated, configured, and removed based on vendor requirements. This dynamic architecture allows the system to adapt to changing vendor capabilities and product offerings without requiring complete system redesign, maintaining versatility while controlling complexity through on-demand configuration.
3Manufacturing precision
If the system maintains detailed vendor capabilities and product parameters, then quoting accuracy and order fulfillment precision are improved, but information management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each quoter object is designed to be self-sufficient, maintaining its own vendor-specific parameters, capabilities, and product information locally. The quoter objects autonomously manage their own data without requiring centralized information management, thereby achieving quoting accuracy through local precision while reducing overall system information management complexity through distribution.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the retailing system supports ever-changing vendor offerings and capabilities, then system adaptability is improved, but software maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic quoter objects that can be independently configured, updated, or replaced based on vendor changes. When a vendor updates their capabilities or product offerings, only the corresponding quoter object needs to be modified, not the entire system. This dynamic, modular approach enables high adaptability while minimizing maintenance costs through localized updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a parameter-driven architecture where vendor capabilities and product offerings are represented as configurable parameters within quoter objects. Changes in vendor offerings are handled by modifying these parameters rather than restructuring the system, allowing the system to adapt to changing vendor offerings while keeping maintenance costs low through simple parameter adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention include flexible and dynamic manufacturing and retailing systems that employ instantiated quoter objects for communicating with remote vendor interfaces to obtain information from vendors related to quote solicitations and to receive and process orders received from remote customers. The quoter objects may also access one or more database systems associated with the retailing system for locally storing and retrieving vendor and product information within the retailing system. The quoter objects may be implemented by vendors, transmitted by vendors to a retailing system, and automatically, manually, or semi-automatically incorporated within the retailing system. In certain embodiments of the retailing system, quoter objects are instantiated by decision support systems that conduct interactive dialogs with clients through one or more customer interfaces via one or more different types of communications media.