Patent ID: 6253187
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A computer-implemented inventory management system for an enterprise which includes a number of member stations, each member station being a separate business entity having a geographic location and a market area, and having associated advertising inventory for sale, wherein the inventory comprises segments of advertising time associated with future time periods, comprising:price forecasting program logic that generates a visually viewable table of one or more advertising time segments that meet specified customer request criteria;yield management program logic for generating and maintaining advertising time segment inventory pricing information for use by the price forecasting system in accordance with a pricing strategy;traffic billing program logic for generating confirmations of orders for inventory and for maintaining scheduling, processing and accounting information in data files relating to such orders;a network permitting access to time segment inventory pricing information of multiple member stations; anda system for accessing inventory information of multiple stations in response to a customer request so that the table of inventory time segments generated by the price forecasting program logic that meets the specified customer criteria can include inventory items from some or all member stations which meet such criteria.