Claims:We Claim:
1. An apparatus for communicating information about a negotiation, comprising:
a. a multivariate negotiations system including storage space and negotiations software;
b. the analysis of terms comprising understanding the purpose of the terms, formatting the terms according to the purpose, and placing them into user supplied context for use by a user;
c. the automated negotiations engine being responsive to a destination terminal for a first user communicating with the multivariate negotiations system;
d. the destination terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path which flows through the multivariate negotiations system; and
e. a contract authority for assigning a unique identifier to such a negotiation at the initiation of negotiations.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contract authority can include a contracts router for routing negotiation information related to a unique identifier.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the contract authority can include a central contract switch for forwarding information from the contracts router to a designated recipient.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the contract authority can include a dynamic contract manager for querying a contract router for information about an identified negotiation.
, Description:Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for assigning identifiers that can be used for automated negotiations and other programs to track items in an automated system of record.
Background of the Invention
Business entities have tried for years to adapt computers and networks for use in Sophisticated intercompany negotiations for commercial purchase and sales transactions, but with results that usually fall far short of expectations. Early mainframe computer attempts, for example, usually involved one corporation allowing its existing Suppliers and quantity buyers to connect to its internal private, proprietary network, using specially written locally developed application programs and private, proprietary network connections. These private systems were usually extremely costly to develop and maintain (often costing in the multi millions of dollars) and very often did not meet all the needs and changing requirements of the participating businesses. Since many corporations had different internal networks and computer systems, considerable effort went into working around incompatibilities. Additionally, these systems had to be based on already existing, close relationships between buyers and sellers and usually were also based on previously negotiated agreements. Thus, the systems did not help in searching for information about new buyers and sellers, nor with the evaluation or negotiation processes, nor with the documenting of those processes from the beginning. They were not interactive, but typically batch processing systems, and usually accepted alphanumeric text only, not the inclusion of graphics or sound files. They usually addressed ongoing relationships previously worked out manually, for which extremely expensive custom systems were developed at buyers or vendors sites. Most business (and many other) negotiation processes are usually multivariate. That is, a business negotiation deals with many variable items, such as price, quantity, quality, shippers, insurance, warranty, Schedules, returns and so on. The above solutions typically did not automate multivariate negotiations in any way, since they had to be built on agreements whose terms had all been previously negotiated With the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web (Web), the exchange of information amongst companies was greatly enhanced, with the use of Web technologies. However, even with chat rooms, bulletin boards, and forum websites most of this data and information exchange is simply that not a multivariate negotiations process nor an online, electronic commerce process. While some of the Web devices, such as chat rooms and bulletin boards are interactive, each essentially allows two or more people to have conversations over the Internet, in the same way they might speak over the telephone or several might speak over an old-fashioned party line telephone. While the chat room or bulletin board may store these conversations, no other action takes place as a result of the process. Consequently, privacy and security questions aside, these are not effective devices to use to negotiate several variable terms, reach agreement on each and document the results. Just as telephone conversations about negotiations can be recorded on tape, but do not produce a contract document on paper, online chat or bulletin board discussions about negotiations cannot easily be used to make a contract on the network, even if they are archived. Extranet Web technology has been developed to enable a corporation to “talk to” (but not negotiate multiple variables in iterative bargaining with) its Suppliers and buyers over the Internet as though the other companies were part of the corporations internal “intranet. This information exchange is done by using client/server technology, Web browsers, and hypertext technology used in the Internet, on an internal basis, as the first step towards creating intranets and then, through them, extranets. In typical intranet client/server technology, one computer acts as a Web server computer to perform complex tasks, while other, smaller computers or terminals are “clients” that communicate with the Web server. In typical client/server intranets the client requests data and performance of tasks from the Web server computer. A Web server program runs on the Web server computer to provide Web server functions. The communications between these intranet clients and Web servers is in Hypertext, or HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) the “language' of the Internet's World Wide Web. Usually, for intranets, at the Web server site, one or more people would create documents in hypertext format and make them available at the Web server. In many companies, employees have personal computers or terminals at their desks connected the internal network. In an “intranet’ these employees would use a Web browser on their terminals to see what hypertext documents are available at the internal corporate web server site.
Object of the Invention
The present object of the invention is to System and Method for Contract Authority
Another object of the present invention is to business negotiation deals with many variable items, such as price, quantity, quality, shippers, insurance, warranty, schedules, returns and so on.
Further object of the invention is to enables a prospective buyer to electronically search a sponsored community site
Summary of the Invention
A contract authority for use by an automated system of record and an automated negotiations engine for iterative, multivariate negotiations which stores each set of terms proposed at each iteration to form the basis of the system of record. The contract authority of the invention assigns a unique identifier to each negotiated transaction and enables the participants to use that number to track all activities against the transaction for analysis and reporting purposes.
Brief Description of Drawings
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention showing its main functions.
Detailed Description of Invention
In FIG. 1, the principal functions of the present invention operate as part of Webserver software is executing in Webserver hardware w. Multivariate negotiations engine is the central function, with sponsor functions, participant functions, external functions and network functions working in cooperation with it. All of these, in turn, communicate through the IP firewall, to database functions, operating with database server system, to maintain database(s). Security of sponsor and participants’ communications is provided at the Webserver level through secured socket layer encryption schemes offered by most Webserver software products, while an additional layer of security is provided by restricting access to database server computers, where data bases resides, by use of IP firewall. Thus, the present invention enables the collection and storing of negotiations and results data in a highly secure hosting environment over a public network.
All participants in a negotiation are continually notified by e-mail as the negotiations progress. In this embodiment, the participants are required to enter their e-mail addresses in order to use the present invention. When participants log into their protected areas in the systems databases, they are also presented with information regarding the latest developments, if any, which have occurred in their respective negotiations. International Transaction Processing One of the paradoxes of international trade now is that as today's global economy expands exponentially the number of potential buyers and sellers, it becomes correspondingly difficult for them to find each other and negotiate agreements. The present invention addresses this in a few ways. First, a sponsored community increases the visibility of member companies which are sellers. The methods described below in connection with functions to promote visibility for the sponsored community and its members significantly increase the likelihood that a buyer, searching for a new supplier over the Internet will find members of Such sponsored communities and that they will be more likely to meet the buyer's needs. For example, trade development communities can be established using the present invention, including as sellers only those that meet the qualifications outlined by the sponsor. This simplifies a prospective buyer's search and evaluation task significantly. The sample order quantity purchasing features (also described in more detail below) of the present invention, significantly reduce the time it takes for a buyer to qualify a new supplier or seller anywhere in the world. As mentioned above, most companies would prefer not to pay for Volume goods with credit cards, since that it the equivalent of paying cash in advance. When that is coupled with the difficulties encountered by those attempting to pay for merchandise online, especially in countries that do not handle credit card transactions, it can be seen that the sample ordering and multiple payment vehicle features of the present invention also contribute to improved international transaction processing. This is especially true for buyers and sellers that are new to each other.