Patent ID: 6970840
Filing Date: 2005-11-29
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for providing virtual access to information distributed across heterogeneous catalog systems of different suppliers, wherein each of the catalog systems include respective catalog databases comprising a collection of product/service information represented as a hierarchy of product categories, where each product category contains a list of products, comprising: (a) subscribing a first catalog server to at least a portion of the information stored on one or more remote catalog systems, thereby creating a subscribing catalog server, wherein the subscribing catalog server and the remote catalog systems are provided with a catalog format that defines how to represent and store the product/service information, and a catalog protocol that defines how to communicate the catalog formatted information, wherein subscribing the first catalog server further includes, (b) performing a replication process using the catalog protocol to synchronize information on the subscribing catalog server with the subscribed information on the remote catalog systems; and (c) allowing a user of the subscribing catalog server to search and browse the synchronized information, thereby providing one site for viewing information from multiple catalog servers.