As illustrated in FIG. 1, the consumer-product information collection, transmission and delivery system of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 1 and comprises an integration of information subsystems, namely: an IPI finding and serving subsystem 2 for allowing consumers to find product related information on the Internet (e.g. WWW) at particular Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), using UPC numbers and/or trademarks and tradenames symbolically-linked or related thereto; a UPC Product-Information Subsystem (“UPC Catalog”) 3 for providing retailers with accurate up-to-date product information on numerous consumer-products offered for wholesale to retailers by manufacturers registering there products therewith; a Electronic Trading Information Subsystem 4 for providing trading partners (e.g., a manufacturer and a retailer) to sell and purchase consumer goods by sending and receiving documents (e.g. purchase orders, invoices, advance slip notices, etc.) to consummate purchase and sale transactions using either EDI transmission or Web-based electronic document communications; a Sales Analysis and Forecasting Information Subsystem for providing retailers with information about what products consumers are currently buying at retail stores or expect to be buying in the near future; Collaborative Replenishment Information Subsystem 6 for determining what products retailers can be buying in order to satisfy consumer demand at any given point in time; a Transportation and Logistics Information Subsystem 7 for providing retailers with information about when ordered products (purchased by retailers at wholesale) will be delivered to the retailer's stores; and Input/Output Port Connecting Subsystems 8 for interconnecting the input and output ports of the above-identified subsystems through the infrastructure of the Internet and various value-added EDI networks of global extent. Notably, unlike prior art supply chain management systems, the consumer-product information collection, transmission and delivery system of the present invention embraces the manufacturers, retailers, and consumers of UPC-encoded products, and not simply the manufacturers and retailers thereof. As will become apparent hereinafter, this important feature of the present invention allows manufacturers and retailers to deliver valuable product related information to the consumers of their products, thereby increasing consumer purchases, consumer satisfaction and consumer loyalty. Prior art supply chain management systems simply have no way or means of providing such information services to the consumers of UPC-encoded products along the consumer-product supply and demand chain.
As shown in FIG. 2, the consumer-product information collection, transmission and delivery system illustrated in FIG. 1 is realized as an arrangement of system components, namely: a central UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9 for storing and serving various types of consumer-product information to retailers and consumers alike (e.g., the name of the product's manufacturer; the Universal Product Code (UPC) assigned to the product by the manufacturer; one or more URLs specifying the location of information resources on the Internet at which particular kinds of information relating to the consumer-product can be found; merchandise classification; style number; tradename; information specifying the size, color and other relevant characteristics of the consumer-product, where applicable; ordering criteria; availability and booking dates, etc.); a globally-based (packet-switched) digital telecommunications network (such as the Internet) 10 having an infrastructure including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Network Service Providers (NSPs), routers, telecommunication lines, channels, etc., for supporting packet-switched type digital data telecommunications using the TCP/IP networking protocol well known in the art; one or more Internet Product Finding Directory (IPD) Servers, each indicated by reference numeral 11 and being connected to the Internet at strategically different locations via the Internet infrastructure 10 and data-synchronized with each other in order that each such Server maintains mirrored a database structure as represented in FIGS. 4A and 4B; a plurality of Internet Product-Information (IPI) Servers, each indicated by reference numeral 12 and being connected to the Internet via the Internet infrastructure; a plurality of User (or Client) Computers, each indicated by reference numeral 13, being connected to the Internet via the Internet infrastructure and available to consumers (C1, C2, C3, . . . , Ci); one or more data communication (i.e. EDI) networks 14, comprising data collection nodes 15 and communication links 16, operably connected to the centralized UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9, each Client Computer 13 available to a Manufacturer (M1, M2, M3, . . . , Mj) and Retailer (R1, R2, R3, . . . , Rk) within the retail supply and demand chain; a Web-based Document Server 30 connected to at least one of the IPD Servers 11 and the Internet infrastructure, for transferring documents and messages to remote Client Computer Systems during the registration of manufacturers and consumer products with the system hereof and periodically updating product-related information with the IPD Servers 11 in an automatic manner; and an Web-based Document Administration Computer 31 connected to the Web-based Document Server 30 by way of a TCP/IP connection 32, for administrating the registration of manufacturers and products with the system, initiating the transfer of consumer product related information (e.g. menu of URLs) between the remote Client Computer Systems and Web-Based Document Server 30, transferring such information to the IPD Servers 11, and maintaining local records of such information transfers and the like.
Preferably, the central UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9 and at least one of the IPD Servers 11 are located at a secured information storage/processing center 17, along with a multiprocessor (or mainframe) computer system, information servers, routers, data communication lines, disk storage devices (e.g. RAIDs), tape drives and tape-library system, uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), and other peripheral technology to provide on-line, batch and back-up operations. However, the IPI Servers, the Client Computers and the other IPD Servers (if provided for database mirroring purposes), typically will be located throughout the world, as the distribution of manufacturers, retailers and consumers who are encouraged to use the system are scattered across the Planet.
In the illustrative embodiment, the Web-based Document Server 30 is a Windows NT Server running WebDox™ Server software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows NT Server can be realized using a suitable computer system having a Pentium® or higher CPU, 64 MB of RAM or higher, running (i) Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or higher Operating System software from Microsoft Corporation, (ii) Microsoft Internet Information Server 2.0 or higher from Microsoft Corporation, and (iii) Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 or higher software from Microsoft Corporation. Also, the WebDox™ Server is provided with a dedicated Internet connection (i.e. ISDN or better) to the Internet infrastructure 33.
The EDI administration computer 31 is either a Windows 95 or Windows NT Computer system running WebDox Admin™ software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows 95 or Windows NT computer system 31 can be realized using a suitable computer system having an Intel 486 or higher CPU, 12 MB of RAM or higher, running Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or higher, and having a TCP/IP connection 31 to the WebDox™ Server 30.
In order to use the WebDox™ system, each remote Client Computer System 13 includes either a Windows 95 or Windows NT Computer system running WebDox Remote™ software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows 95 or Windows NT computer system 13 can be realized using a suitable computer system having a Intel 486 or higher CPU, 16 MB of RAM or higher, and a VGA monitor or better, and running (i) Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher Operating System (OS) software, and (ii) Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher from Microsoft Corporation. Also, the WebDox Remote™ Server is provided with a dial-up Internet connection (i.e. 14,400 bps or better) to the Internet infrastructure. The function of the Web-based Document Server 30, Web-based Administration System 31 and remote client systems 13 running the Premenos® WebDox Remote™ software is to provide a Web-based Document Transport System for automatically transferring information (e.g. UPC/URLs) from manufacturers to the IPD Servers of the system in order to periodically update the same. While the illustrative embodiment of this Web-based Document Transport System has been described in terms of its implementation using the WebDox™ system from Premenos, it is understood that other commercially available electronic document transport systems (e.g. COMMERCE:FORMS™ Electronic Business Forms Package from Sterling Commerce, Inc., http://www.stercomm.com) can be used to carry out this subsystem. One such alternative The operation of this Web-Based Document Transport System will be described in detail hereinafter with respect to the collection and delivery of consumer product related information to the IPDs hereof.
The major subsystem components comprising the consumer-product information collection, transmission and delivery system of the present invention will be described in greater detail below.
In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the UPC Product-Information Subsystem 2 is realized using the UPC/URL Catalog Database Subsystem 9 and data communication networks 14 of the enabling technology platform shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, the product procurement services delivered by the U
ดังที่แสดงใน FIG. 1 รวบรวมข้อมูลสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภค ระบบการส่งและจัดส่งสิ่งประดิษฐ์นำเสนอโดยทั่วไปจะระบุ โดยอ้างอิงตัวเลข 1 และประกอบด้วยการรวมข้อมูลย่อย ได้แก่: IPI การค้นหา และการให้บริการ 2 ระบบย่อยเพื่อให้ผู้บริโภคค้นหาที่เกี่ยวข้องกับข้อมูลบนอินเทอร์เน็ต (เช่น WWW) ที่เฉพาะรูป Locators ทรัพยากร (Url), ใช้หมายเลข UPC และ/หรือเครื่องหมายการค้า และ tradenames โดยเชื่อมโยง หรือเกี่ยวข้องจุด UPC ข้อมูลผลิตภัณฑ์ระบบย่อย ("UPC แค็ตตาล็อก") 3 ให้ร้านค้าปลีกสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภคมากมายกับสินค้าทันสมัยถูกต้องเสนอสำหรับขายส่งให้ร้านค้าปลีกโดยผู้ผลิตที่มีการลงทะเบียนผลิตภัณฑ์นี้ อิเล็กทรอนิกส์การค้าข้อมูลระบบย่อย 4 ให้คู่ (เช่น ผู้ผลิตและผู้ค้าปลีก) การค้าการขาย และซื้อสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภค โดยส่ง และรับเอกสาร (เช่นใบสั่งซื้อ ใบแจ้งหนี้ แจ้งการจัดส่งล่วงหน้า ฯลฯ) เพื่อซื้อ consummate สถานีและธุรกรรมการขายที่ใช้ส่งข้อมูล EDI หรือเว็บเอกสารอิเล็กทรอนิกส์สื่อสาร ขายวิเคราะห์และคาดการณ์ข้อมูลที่ระบบย่อยสำหรับการให้ข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับสิ่งผลิตภัณฑ์ผู้บริโภคมีกำลังซื้อที่ร้านค้าปลีก หรือคาดว่าจะซื้อในอนาคต ร้านค้าปลีก ร่วม 6 ระบบย่อยข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมสำหรับการกำหนดร้านค้าปลีกผลิตภัณฑ์ใดที่สามารถซื้อเพื่อตอบสนองอุปสงค์ผู้บริโภค ณจุดใด ๆ กำหนดเวลา ขนส่งและโลจิสติกส์ 7 ระบบย่อยของข้อมูลสำหรับให้ผู้ค้าปลีกรายเมื่อสั่งซื้อผลิตภัณฑ์ (ซื้อตามร้านค้าปลีกที่ขายส่ง) จะถูกส่งไปยังร้านค้าของร้านค้าปลีก และอินพุต/เอาท์พุตพอร์ตเชื่อมต่อย่อย 8 สำหรับพอร์ตอินพุต และเอาท์พุตของระบบย่อยที่ระบุข้างต้นผ่านโครงสร้างพื้นฐานของอินเทอร์เน็ตและหลายเครือข่าย EDI มูลค่าเพิ่มของขอบเขตทั่วโลกเชื่อมต่อกัน ยวด ซึ่งแตกต่างจากก่อนซัพพลายเชนการจัดการระบบ การรวบรวมข้อมูลของสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภค เกียร์ และระบบส่งของการประดิษฐ์ที่มีวัฒนธรรมผู้ผลิต ค้า ปลีก และผู้บริโภคของผลิตภัณฑ์เข้า UPC และไม่เพียงผู้ผลิต และผู้ค้าปลีกดังกล่าว เป็นจะกลายเป็นชัดเจนซึ่งต่อไปนี้ นี้สำคัญคุณลักษณะของสิ่งประดิษฐ์นำเสนอช่วยให้ผู้ผลิตและผู้ค้าปลีกเพื่อให้ผลิตภัณฑ์มีคุณค่าข้อมูลที่เกี่ยวข้องกับผู้บริโภคของผลิตภัณฑ์ของพวกเขา จึงช่วยเพิ่มผู้บริโภคซื้อ ความพึงพอใจของผู้บริโภคและสมาชิกผู้บริโภค ระบบการจัดการห่วงโซ่อุปทานศิลปะก่อนก็จะไม่มีทางหรือวิธีการให้บริการข้อมูลดังกล่าวให้กับผู้บริโภคของผลิตภัณฑ์เข้า UPC ตามห่วงโซ่อุปสงค์และอุปทานของสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภคAs shown in FIG. 2, the consumer-product information collection, transmission and delivery system illustrated in FIG. 1 is realized as an arrangement of system components, namely: a central UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9 for storing and serving various types of consumer-product information to retailers and consumers alike (e.g., the name of the product's manufacturer; the Universal Product Code (UPC) assigned to the product by the manufacturer; one or more URLs specifying the location of information resources on the Internet at which particular kinds of information relating to the consumer-product can be found; merchandise classification; style number; tradename; information specifying the size, color and other relevant characteristics of the consumer-product, where applicable; ordering criteria; availability and booking dates, etc.); a globally-based (packet-switched) digital telecommunications network (such as the Internet) 10 having an infrastructure including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Network Service Providers (NSPs), routers, telecommunication lines, channels, etc., for supporting packet-switched type digital data telecommunications using the TCP/IP networking protocol well known in the art; one or more Internet Product Finding Directory (IPD) Servers, each indicated by reference numeral 11 and being connected to the Internet at strategically different locations via the Internet infrastructure 10 and data-synchronized with each other in order that each such Server maintains mirrored a database structure as represented in FIGS. 4A and 4B; a plurality of Internet Product-Information (IPI) Servers, each indicated by reference numeral 12 and being connected to the Internet via the Internet infrastructure; a plurality of User (or Client) Computers, each indicated by reference numeral 13, being connected to the Internet via the Internet infrastructure and available to consumers (C1, C2, C3, . . . , Ci); one or more data communication (i.e. EDI) networks 14, comprising data collection nodes 15 and communication links 16, operably connected to the centralized UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9, each Client Computer 13 available to a Manufacturer (M1, M2, M3, . . . , Mj) and Retailer (R1, R2, R3, . . . , Rk) within the retail supply and demand chain; a Web-based Document Server 30 connected to at least one of the IPD Servers 11 and the Internet infrastructure, for transferring documents and messages to remote Client Computer Systems during the registration of manufacturers and consumer products with the system hereof and periodically updating product-related information with the IPD Servers 11 in an automatic manner; and an Web-based Document Administration Computer 31 connected to the Web-based Document Server 30 by way of a TCP/IP connection 32, for administrating the registration of manufacturers and products with the system, initiating the transfer of consumer product related information (e.g. menu of URLs) between the remote Client Computer Systems and Web-Based Document Server 30, transferring such information to the IPD Servers 11, and maintaining local records of such information transfers and the like.Preferably, the central UPC/URL Database Subsystem 9 and at least one of the IPD Servers 11 are located at a secured information storage/processing center 17, along with a multiprocessor (or mainframe) computer system, information servers, routers, data communication lines, disk storage devices (e.g. RAIDs), tape drives and tape-library system, uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), and other peripheral technology to provide on-line, batch and back-up operations. However, the IPI Servers, the Client Computers and the other IPD Servers (if provided for database mirroring purposes), typically will be located throughout the world, as the distribution of manufacturers, retailers and consumers who are encouraged to use the system are scattered across the Planet.In the illustrative embodiment, the Web-based Document Server 30 is a Windows NT Server running WebDox™ Server software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows NT Server can be realized using a suitable computer system having a Pentium® or higher CPU, 64 MB of RAM or higher, running (i) Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or higher Operating System software from Microsoft Corporation, (ii) Microsoft Internet Information Server 2.0 or higher from Microsoft Corporation, and (iii) Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 or higher software from Microsoft Corporation. Also, the WebDox™ Server is provided with a dedicated Internet connection (i.e. ISDN or better) to the Internet infrastructure 33.
The EDI administration computer 31 is either a Windows 95 or Windows NT Computer system running WebDox Admin™ software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows 95 or Windows NT computer system 31 can be realized using a suitable computer system having an Intel 486 or higher CPU, 12 MB of RAM or higher, running Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or higher, and having a TCP/IP connection 31 to the WebDox™ Server 30.
In order to use the WebDox™ system, each remote Client Computer System 13 includes either a Windows 95 or Windows NT Computer system running WebDox Remote™ software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows 95 or Windows NT computer system 13 can be realized using a suitable computer system having a Intel 486 or higher CPU, 16 MB of RAM or higher, and a VGA monitor or better, and running (i) Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher Operating System (OS) software, and (ii) Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher from Microsoft Corporation. Also, the WebDox Remote™ Server is provided with a dial-up Internet connection (i.e. 14,400 bps or better) to the Internet infrastructure. The function of the Web-based Document Server 30, Web-based Administration System 31 and remote client systems 13 running the Premenos® WebDox Remote™ software is to provide a Web-based Document Transport System for automatically transferring information (e.g. UPC/URLs) from manufacturers to the IPD Servers of the system in order to periodically update the same. While the illustrative embodiment of this Web-based Document Transport System has been described in terms of its implementation using the WebDox™ system from Premenos, it is understood that other commercially available electronic document transport systems (e.g. COMMERCE:FORMS™ Electronic Business Forms Package from Sterling Commerce, Inc., http://www.stercomm.com) can be used to carry out this subsystem. One such alternative The operation of this Web-Based Document Transport System will be described in detail hereinafter with respect to the collection and delivery of consumer product related information to the IPDs hereof.
The major subsystem components comprising the consumer-product information collection, transmission and delivery system of the present invention will be described in greater detail below.
In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the UPC Product-Information Subsystem 2 is realized using the UPC/URL Catalog Database Subsystem 9 and data communication networks 14 of the enabling technology platform shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, the product procurement services delivered by the U
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..