Patent ID: 7054844
Filing Date: 2006-05-30
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. An electronic commerce system for procuring goods/services subject to a chain of custody when transferred from a supplier to a user, comprising: a user system for procuring the goods by the user comprising: means for electronically receiving and transmitting user private procurement transactions; and security means operable only by the user for authenticating electronically said user private procurement transactions comprising orders and confirmations of receipt in a non-repudiatable manner to the secure procurement processor; a supplier system for supplying the goods for procuring by the user comprising: means for electronically receiving authenticated user private procurement transactions and transmitting supplier private procurement transactions comprising notification of provision of goods/services; a secure procurement system comprising: user system communication means for transmitting and receiving the user private procurement transactions with the user system; supplier system communication means for transmitting and receiving the supplier private procurement transactions with the supplier system; security means for receiving authentication of said user private procurement transactions and for authenticating electronically said user private procurement transactions comprising orders and confirmations of receipt as the secure procurement system's transactions in a non-repudiatable manner; a database server for storing said authenticated private procurement transactions and said notifications and for storing a product catalog representing said goods from the supplier available for procuring by a user; a procurement transaction processor for processing said private procurement transactions transmitted and received between the user and the supplier, wherein said procurement transaction processor includes: means for performing business rules analysis using the order, notification or confirmation of receipt; means for detecting controlled substances; and means for alarming potential instances of diversion or loss of controlled substances; wherein upon receiving a notification of provision of controlled substances at the secure procurement system the means for performing business rules analysis and means for alarming initiate a timer for a predetermined period of time within which to receive the confirmation of receipt of the controlled substances corresponding to the notification, and when the timer expires, alarm a potential instance of diversion or loss of controlled substances and prevent further orders from the user; a certificate authority for facilitating the authentication electronically of said user private procurement transactions comprising orders and confirmations of receipt in a non-repudiatable manner; a network connection linking the user system, secure procurement system and certificate authority; and supplier network connection linking the supplier system and secure procurement system; whereby the secure procurement system, in cooperation with the certificate authority, processes and stores said orders, notifications, and confirmations of receipt to provide a verifiable chain of custody for controlled substances procured by the user, and the secure procurement system communicates with the user and the certificate authority to authenticate that the user is entitled to order said controlled substances'.