Patent ID: 8600821
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for an integrated computer network of and managed by an entity to assist customers to order products and a plurality of merchants to provide information regarding products, the integrated computer network including a customer interface, an accounting and billing system, an order fulfillment system and a publishing system, the computer-implemented method comprising: allowing, via the customer interface, customers to access and electronically search for information from a database, which is associated with the customer interface, regarding a plurality of products from at least two merchants; receiving, via the customer interface, customer orders from the customers, the customer orders for ordering products from the plurality of products; managing, via the accounting and billing system using at least one computing device, accounting and billing data related to the customer orders to allow the orders to be processed and the customers to be billed for the products from the at least two merchants; managing, via the order fulfillment system, fulfillment of the received customer orders for the products from the at least two merchants; managing, via the publishing system, information about products from the at least two merchants to be available for customer purchase via the customer interface; allowing, via a publishing interface of the publishing system, the at least two merchants to enter product information regarding products into another database, which is in a memory device associated with the publishing system, including at least the name and availability information of at least two products, one from each of the at least two merchants, to be sold, wherein the publishing interface includes (a) a first publishing interface that allows the at least two merchants to upload product information in data files into the another database, and (b) a second publishing GUI interface that allows the at least two merchants to edit entered product information via the web; accessing the memory device for information regarding the products entered by the at least two merchants for customers to order; and organizing the information accessed from the memory device regarding the products entered by the at least two merchants at least into products under one or more categories for customers to access and search via the customer interface, wherein if products entered by the at least two merchants are of the same category, the publishing system is configured to automatically categorize the products together for customers to access and search, wherein the method further comprises allowing customers to access information regarding the products from the at least two merchants as well as to access information regarding other products via the customer interface to order products, and allowing a customer to return at least a product ordered by the customer during the time when the product is physically delivered to the customer, with information regarding the return being received by the integrated computer network during the time of return, wherein the method is configured to be implemented via at least the customer interface, the accounting and billing system, the order fulfillment system and the publishing system, which are configured to be included in the integrated computer network, and wherein the at least two merchants are from two separate entities, wherein the integrated computer network is configured to control at least customer ordering, customer accounting and billing, and customer order fulfillment, without using systems or separate online storefronts from the at least two merchants, so that customer information including information regarding orders from customers for products from the at least two merchants are configured to be managed by the integrated computer network.