Patent ID: 7113919
Filing Date: 2006-09-26
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for a supplier of at least one supplier specific specialty component to provide a customer with technical support information for making a supplier specific formulation having certain characteristics over a network-based system so as to permit the customer to make the formulation from the at least one supplier specific specialty component promoted and offered for sale by the supplier to the customer, the method comprising: providing a computer database comprising promotional information specific to the at least one specialty component, a supplier offer to sell the at least one specialty component and supplier technical support information for making a plurality of product formulations using the at least one specialty component; classifying in the computer database the plurality of product formulations according to a set of product characteristics for each of said formulations; receiving over the network from the customer a plurality of inputs indicative of a set of customer preferred characteristics; presenting over the network to the customer supplier technical support information comprising a plurality of formulation constituent components including the at least one specialty component for each of said plurality of formulations corresponding to said set of characteristics received from the customer so that the customer may select different combinations of said components to be used with the at least one specialty component so as to allow the customer to create different trial formulations; receiving over the network from the customer another input selecting at least one particular combination of constituent components to be used in combination with the at least one specialty component for use in creating at least one trial formulation; presenting over the network to the customer technical support information for said at least one trial formulation including performance characteristics for said at least one trial formulation, said performance characteristics being substantially consistent with and supplemental to the customer preferred characteristics; presenting over the network to the customer the promotional information specific to the at least one specialty component; and presenting over the network to the customer an offer sell the at least one specialty component.