Supplier hub with hosted supplier stores

(54) SUPPLIER HUB WITH HOSTED SUPPLIER STORES

(75) Inventors: Michael K. Au, Markham (CA); Conan
Ming Y. Chan, Markham (CA); Sau
Chu Chan, Thornhill (CA); Lev
Mirlas, Thornhill (CA); Alex Shum,
Thornhill (CA)

Correspondence Address:
John D. Flynn
IBM Corporation
Dept. T81/Bldg. 503
PO Box 12195

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (US)

(73) Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY

(21) Appl. No.: 10/751,742

(22) Filed: Jan. 5, 2004

(30) Foreign Application Priority Data

Jun. 26, 2003 (CA) 2,433,471

Publication Classification (51) Int. CI.7 G06F 17/60

An online marketplace for commerce between multiple buyers and multiple suppliers. The marketplace includes hosted supplier stores opened, managed and maintained by individual registered suppliers. The suppliers upload supplier catalog information to the hosted supplier stores. The marketplace also includes a supplier hub, or general open market, where registered buyers can browse an aggregated catalog made up from an aggregation of the supplier catalogs from the hosted supplier stores. The marketplace administrator may define a catalog topology based upon which the suppliers may structure their own supplier catalogs, thereby easing aggregation of the supplier catalogs into the aggregated catalog. The marketplace also includes trading mechanisms for conducting online ordering, purchasing, requests for quotations, and negotiations. The marketplace also recognizes and enforces contracts between the buyers and the suppliers, whereby a supplier has granted a buyer certain entitlements, in terms of access or pricing, to a buyer in relation to a particular product. The marketplace ensures that the terms and conditions of the contract are enforced in the course of catalog browsing, pricing, and ordering.