Patent ID: 7120596
Filing Date: 2006-10-10
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for managing an independent supply chain, comprising: in a supply chain comprising independent suppliers, independent distributors, independent stores, and an independent supply chain manager with an independent supply chain manager computer connected together by a network, the independent supply chain manager negotiating on behalf of the independent stores and/or the independent distributors supplier master contracts with the independent suppliers, wherein each different supplier master contract is to supply at least one item to a set of the independent distributors and/or independent stores, and negotiating on behalf of the independent stores distributor master contracts with the independent distributors, wherein each of the distributor master contracts requires the distributor to receive items from at least one of the independent suppliers and to distribute the items to a set of the independent stores, wherein each of a plurality of the supplier master contracts includes a term assigning a particular set of the independent distributors to the independent supplier to which to supply the at least one item, wherein each of a plurality of the supplier master contracts sets at least one contract price for at least one item to be supplied to the particular set of independent distributors, wherein each of a plurality of the distributor master contracts includes a term assigning a particular set of the independent stores to the independent distributor to which to distribute the at least one item, and wherein the independent supply chain manager negotiates a mark-up on the at least one item to be distributed to the independent stores; storing a plurality of terms of the supplier and distributor master contracts in a supply chain electronic database accessible via the network; registering each of a plurality of the independent suppliers, the independent distributors and the independent stores as one of at least three types comprising suppliers, distributors and stores, assigning to each of the plurality a unique identifier based on their user type, and maintaining a list of registered users in the independent supply chain manager computer; receiving store sales data from a plurality of the independent stores utilizing the network, the store sales data comprising the sales of goods by the independent stores, wherein the sales of the goods are made independently of the network; receiving data from the independent suppliers and/or the independent distributors utilizing the network, the data relating to the sales of the items from the independent suppliers to the independent distributors; receiving distributor sales data from a plurality of the independent distributors and/or independent stores relating to the sales of the items from the distributors to the independent stores utilizing the network; electronically translating the sales data of individual goods to items that are components of the goods based on a formula or recipe; electronically determining an actual landed cost for one of the items based at least in part on the distributor sales data; electronically determining if the actual landed cost for the one item complies with the mark-up negotiated in the master contract by the independent supply chain manager with the independent distributor; generating an alert if there is non-compliance with the negotiated mark-up; electronically determining if the price for one of the items supplied to one of the independent distributors matches the contract price in the supplier master contract with the independent supplier for that item; generating an alert if there is not a match with the contract price for the item in the supplier master contract; providing an interface on the network to allow access by a registered user on the list to different data in the supply chain electronic database depending on the user type, wherein each of a plurality of the registered users that are independent suppliers or independent distributors has access to the sales data for the stores that they supply either directly or indirectly under at least one of the supplier and distributor master contracts.