Abstract:
This invention proposes a wireless quotation platform and method employing Wireless Local Area Network (abbreviated as WLAN) for transmitting the quotation requirements from the client to the server (comprising a quotation service Web site and a quotation processing system) via WLAN connections, generating the quotation results and transmitting the results to operation terminals.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention is related to an automatic quotation system, especially to a system applied in the quotation processes of EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) receiving the client&#39;s quotation requirements via WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) connections and dynamically generating the server&#39;s quotation results.  
           [0003]    2. Related Art  
           [0004]    Quotation is a very complicated problem that is hard to resolve effectively in the area of EMS. Due to various quotation requirements of customers and the high complexity of the EMS working model, manufacturers spend much manpower and time on processing various quotations of different customers, hence the efficiency of quotation processes is low. On the contrary, manufacturers can easily earn more if they have an efficient quotation mechanism to provide customers with the required quotation results immediately. As a result, an efficient quotation mechanism is crucial for EMS manufacturers and is necessary in the area of EMS.  
           [0005]    In the past of the E-commerce era, building Web-based portal sites was widely used for establishing communication channels among customers and manufacturers to enable the manufacturers to know customers&#39; quotation requirements and enable customers to find the required quotation results. However, in the M-commerce era where mobility is emphasized, when frequently facing the increasing competition, EMS manufacturers have started to feel the model used in the E-commerce era can no longer meet the timely needs. So how to employ WLAN software and hardware technologies to build a wireless quotation platform and method that is more flexible and can satisfy the customers&#39; needs in quotation requirements in a more timely and more convenient manner than the computer-platform-limited E-commerce quotation mechanism, and to help EMS manufacturers earn more business opportunities, should be the important direction of effort from those EMS manufacturers with urgent desire to increase their competitiveness.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The invention proposes a wireless quotation platform and method whose main objective is to provide EMS manufacturers with dynamic, space-unlimited, interactive, highly efficient and convenient quotation processes through the remote access between the client and server via WLAN software and hardware technologies.  
           [0007]    To achieve the objective above, the proposed wireless quotation platform includes: the client&#39;s operation terminals, a server&#39;s quotation processing system and the server&#39;s quotation service Web site.  
           [0008]    In addition, the proposed method includes the following steps. First, the connection between an operation terminal and a quotation service Web site is established. Then the operation terminal sends the quotation requirements to the quotation service Web site. After receiving the quotation requirements, the quotation service Web site sends the quotation requirements to the quotation processing system to purse the quotation requirements, extract the corresponding quotation results, generate the data pages of the quotation results and return the data pages to the quotation service Web site. The service Web site returns the data pages of the quotation results to the operation terminal, and finally, the connection between the operation terminal and the quotation service Web site is terminated.  
           [0009]    Details of the invention are described below. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 shows the architecture of the proposed platform and method.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 shows the flowchart of the proposed platform and method.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 shows the detailed flowchart of the generation of the quotation requirements of the proposed platform and method.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 shows the detailed flowchart, generating the data pages of the quotation results as proposed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 shows the architecture of the proposed wireless quotation platform and method. The invention employs WLAN technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g . . . ) as communication media between the client&#39;s operation terminal  30  and the server&#39;s quotation service Web site  20 . With wireless communication, a user can select and put in various quotation requirements, and transmit the quotation requirements to the server for processing the quotation, thus dynamically generating the quotation results to the user. The components are as follows.  
         [0015]    1. A quotation processing system  10  at the server side receives and purses the quotation requirements from the quotation service Web site. While generating the quotation results, the quotation processing system  10  generates the data pages of the quotation results and sends the data pages to the quotation service Web site  20 .  
         [0016]    2. A server&#39;s quotation service Web site  20  connecting with an operation terminal  30  receives the quotation requirements from an operation terminal  30  put in by the user and sends the quotation requirements to the quotation processing system  10 . When receiving the data pages of the quotation results for the quotation processing system  10 , the quotation service Web site  20  returns the data pages to the operation terminal  30 .  
         [0017]    The quotation service Web site  20  provides a set of APIs (Application Program Interfaces) to the user in the operation terminal  30  for selecting and putting in the quotation requirements. The APIs are also used by the quotation service Web site  20  for sending the quotation requirements to the quotation processing system  10 .  
         [0018]    In addition, the quotation service Web site  20  contains a content database storing all quotation-related information. The user selects and browses the quotation-related information in the database by the operation terminal  30 .  
         [0019]    3. The operation terminal  30  at the client side provides the users with the operation, selection and input services (e.g., the selection and input of quotation requirements, the browsing of quotation-related information).  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 shows the flowchart of the proposed platform and method. First, a connection between an operation terminal  30  and a quotation service Web site  20  is established (Step  100 ) by WLAN. After the connection is established, the user connects to the quotation service Web site  20  by the operation terminal  30  for selecting and putting in the quotation requirements, and sends the quotation requirements to the quotation service Web site  20  (Step  110 ). The generating-process for the quotation requirements is described in FIG. 3. Then, the quotation service Web site  20  sends the received quotation requirements to the quotation processing system  10  for pursing the requirements (Step  120 ) and determining what the content of the user&#39;s requirements is. After pursing, the quotation processing system  10  extracts the corresponding algorithm and quotation items from the database according to the users&#39; quotation requirements and generates the quotation results. Then the quotation results are transformed to the data pages which is displayed in the operation terminal  30  and returned to the quotation service Web site  20  (Step  130 ). The generation of the data pages is described in FIG. 4. When receiving the data pages of the quotation results, the quotation service Web site  20  returns the data pages to the operation terminal  30  to display (Step  140 ). The quotation service Web site  20  determines whether the user wants to put the next quotation requirement in (Step  150 ). If so, the system enters Step  110 . Otherwise, the connection between the operation terminal and the quotation service Web site is terminated (Step  160 ).  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 shows the detailed flowchart of the generation of quotation requirements of the proposed platform and method, describing the detailed interaction between operation terminal  30  and quotation service Web site  30 . Since practical quotation processes are quite complex, different combinations of quotation requirements generate different quotation results. However, the combinations of quotation requirements and the calculations of quotation are not in the scope of the invention, hence, we focus on the interaction between the operation terminal  30  and the quotation service Web site  20 . First, when the user requires the quotations, the quotation service Web site  20  sends the input menu of EMS models to the user (Step  200 ), and receives and stores the user&#39;s input (Step  205 ). The quotation service Web site  20  sends the input menu of delivery models to the user (Step  210 ), and receives and stores the user&#39;s input (Step  215 ). If the user selects a standard quotation model (Step  220 ), the quotation service Web site  20  generates standard quotation requirements. Otherwise, if the user selects a customized quotation model (Step  220 ), the quotation service Web site  20  provides the input menu to the user for putting in special quotation requirements (Step  240 ), receives and stores the content of customized quotation (Step  245 ), and finally generates the customized quotation requirements (Step  250 ).  
         [0022]    The quotation service Web site  20  then determines whether the user confirms all selected processes (Step  260 ). If so, the quotation service Web site integrates all standard or customized quotation requirements and generates the quotation requirements sent to the quotation processing system (Step  280 ). If the user does not confirm all selected processes (Step  260 ), the user can put in other quotation requirements (Step  270 ).  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 shows the flowchart of generating the data pages of the quotation results. When receiving the quotation requirements from the quotation service Web site  20 , the quotation processing system  10  first purses the received quotation requirements (Step  300 ) and determines whether the user selects a standard quotation (Step  310 ). If so, the quotation processing system extracts the default quotation rules and parameters according to the content of the standard quotation requirements for executing the quotation (Step  320 ) and generating the standard quotation results (Step  330 ). If the user selects a customized quotation, the quotation processing system adjusts the standard quotation rules and parameters according to the content of the customized quotation requirements executing the quotation (Step  340 ) and generating the customized quotation results (Step  350 ).  
         [0024]    After generating the standard or customized quotation results, the quotation processing system  10  integrates the result to generate the data pages of the quotation results which can be browsed by the operation terminal  30  (Step  360 ) and returns the data pages to the quotation service Web site  20  (Step  370 ). In the meantime, the quotation processing system also sends a notice of the finish of the quotation processes to the quotation service Web site  20  (Step  380 ), and finally, the process is terminated.  
         [0025]    Effects of the Invention  
         [0026]    The proposed wireless quotation platform and method employing WLAN software and hardware technology eliminates the temporal and spatial limitations of quotation processes and increase the application area. Further, the quotation processes take less time.  
         [0027]    The user immediately obtains the required quotation results. The proposed platform and method also increases the efficiency of the users&#39; business.  
         [0028]    The EMS manufacturers obtain and understand the customers&#39; requirements, increase the customers&#39; satisfaction through highly efficient quotation processes, and obtain more customers&#39; orders, and generate more profit. While the preferred embodiment of the invention is made for disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiment of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments not departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.