Method and system for configuring and ordering consumer product

US7596508B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Ford Motor Company · US

Inventors

• David McGuffie · Beverly Hills, US
• John Burns · Colorado Springs, US
• Jeffrey M. Liedel · Canton, US
• J. Kevin Vasconi · Ann Arbor, US
• Leo W. Darley · Ann Arbor, US
• Thomas D. Cornellier · Wixom, US
• Thor Ibsen · Birmingham, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 2, 2000
• Grant date: Sep 29, 2009
• Expiry date: Feb 9, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q40/04
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method (100, 310, 510) of inventory tracking and custom ordering over a computer network (316). The system includes a multimedia user interface (318) delivered over the computer network to a user, and a configuration and pricing database (324) storing product pricing data according to user-entered product configuration. An inventory database (322) stores product availability data in inventory of retail sales facilities, in-transit from product manufacturing facilities to the retail sales facilities, in-plant at the product manufacturing facilities, and on a ordering bank at the product manufacturing facilities. The user is able to search, via the multimedia user interface (318), the inventory database (322) for the user-entered product configuration and receive pricing data and product availability data. A sales processor (332) is operable to receive, via the multimedia user interface (318), user reservation of an available product determined by the search. An order processor (352) is operable to receive, via the multimedia user interface, a custom order for a product not available in inventory from the user. A status processor (354) also provides the user product avai…