Patent ID: 7574383
Filing Date: 2009-08-11
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A distributed inventory management system, the system comprising one or more components collectively operable to: receive information regarding a plurality of distributed participants in one or more tiers of a value chain, wherein each tier of the one or more tiers of the value chain comprise a different replenishment process associated with one or more of the plurality of distributed participants, and information regarding one or more items in the one or more tiers of the value chain; model relationships between at least two of the plurality of distributed participants in the different tiers of the one or more tiers of the value chain based on the received information; model the one or more items based on the received information; receive inventory data from one or more of the plurality of distributed participants relating to the one or more items; process the inventory data based on the models of the relationships and the items to generate inventory information related to one or more of the distributed participants; and communicate the generated inventory information to one or more of the plurality of distributed participants in a different tier of the value chain, the inventory information including at least inventory data of participants other than those participants to which the inventory information is communicated.