Inventory management of resources

US7752076B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Jacob Kugel · Rochester, US
• Carl C. Pecinovsky · Rochester, US
• Christopher Smith · Rochester, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 29, 2004
• Grant date: Jul 6, 2010
• Expiry date: Oct 2, 2026

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/0641
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, receive vendor resource data and vendor logic from vendors, receive customer resource data from a customer, build a page based on the customer resource data and the vendor resource data, send the page to the customer, and invoke the vendor logic in response to a request from the customer via the page. The page may describe both the current inventory of resources at the customer (based on the customer resource data) and resources that are available for purchase from the vendors (based on the vendor resource data). In various embodiments, the vendor logic purchases the resource from the vendor, requests information from the vendor, or registers the customer with the vendor. If a determination is made that a new resource is needed, either by the customer or by analysis of the customer resource data and rules for purchasing new resources, then a purchase request is sent to the vendor for the new resource.