Abstract:
A method for managing a plurality of commercial website accounts maintained by a supplier of goods or services includes receiving a structure via a first computer screen, where the structure specifies a relationship between a first one of the plurality of commercial website accounts and a second one of the plurality of commercial website accounts, so that the first one of the plurality of website accounts is configured to be a parent account of the second of the plurality of website accounts defining a child account; linking the child account and the parent account in accordance with the received structure in response to a command received via the first computer screen; receiving a rule that regulates a purchase of goods or services by a user of the child account via a second computer screen, where the received rule specifies an action associated with a user of the parent account; automatically detecting that the user of the child account has placed an order at the commercial website; and processing the order in accordance with the rule and the structure.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/453,527 filed Jun. 15, 2006, which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/697,131 filed Jul. 7, 2005, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a method to facilitate monitoring the use of a website posted on the Internet by an organization having multiple users accessing the website, and particularly to a method for linking a plurality of website user accounts directly or indirectly related to said organization to facilitate monitoring by authorized personnel of the organization. 
     Typically, a business enterprise, governmental entity or other organization may have multiple personnel who access the commercial website of a supplier or other entity for the acquisition of goods and/or services. These personnel access the website on behalf of their own organization which, for example, might be a division or subsidiary of a parent company or organization. As a result, the commercial website will have separate accounts for each of the divisions or subsidiaries of the parent. In some cases, the supplier may well have a number of commercial websites offering their goods and services. For example, the supplier may have separate websites in different countries. Because of the number of separate accounts that may be involved it is difficult for an organization to monitor all of the activities of the personnel of its various related organizations in accessing its suppliers&#39; websites. 
     It is known to provide access on a commercial website to various accounts of an organization that have the same billing address. Presently, however, the data for each account is made available only on an individual basis. In other words the data for the various accounts is not made available in aggregate form. There is therefore a need for a method of aggregating the data of various accounts of related organizations to make such data available for monitoring by authorized personnel of those organizations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, the invention is of a method for linking separate accounts of a commercial website on the Internet which comprises establishing a tree structure defining the relationship of the various accounts in the tree, obtaining approval of the tree structure by authorized personnel responsible for the accounts, and linking the separate accounts in accordance with the relationship defined by the approved tree structure. In a preferred form the step of establishing a tree structure is performed on-line. 
     In another embodiment, the invention includes a method for linking separate accounts on a commercial website on the Internet which comprises selecting various accounts to be linked while connected to said website, selecting data parameters from a plurality of data parameters to be included in aggregated form from the selected accounts, and aggregating data for the selected data parameters from the selected accounts. In a preferred form the method includes providing at least one screen for simultaneous viewing of the aggregated data for the selected accounts by a user of the website who is authorized to access the aggregated data. 
     In a further embodiment, the invention includes a method for controlling the purchase of goods or services from a commercial website on the Internet by users from a plurality of separate accounts within an organization. The method comprises establishing a tree structure defining the relationship of the various accounts within the organization, linking the separate accounts in accordance with the relationship defined by the tree structure, and establishing a plurality of rules regarding the authority for users to purchase goods or services from said commercial website, and assigning at least one group of users to whom the rules apply. In a preferred form, at least one of the rules may preclude a user from checking out and completing the purchase if the proposed purchase exceeds, for example, a certain total dollar amount. In another preferred form, at least one of the rules may require approval by at least one additional person selected to approve or deny purchases that exceed the restriction of that rule. In still another preferred form, a plurality of rules are arranged in ascending order so that a person selected for review of a purchase represents an account at one of the levels in the tree structure and a second person selected for review of said purchase represents an account at a higher level in the tree structure than the first mentioned level therein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a method of establishing linking of website accounts of related organizations. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an approval process for establishing a website hierarchy or tree structure of linked accounts. 
         FIG. 3  is a sample illustration of a computer screen designed to enable an authorized user to select available accounts of related organizations to be linked for creating specific reports. 
         FIG. 4  is a sample computer screen showing aggregated data of selected related organizations and selected data parameters. 
         FIG. 5  is a sample computer screen showing options for linking various accounts of an organization. 
         FIG. 6  is a sample computer screen for importing accounts to be linked in the database. 
         FIG. 7  is a sample computer screen for creating a combination of workflow rules by selecting a rule, entering the amount or criteria and choosing the authorizer for review and approval or denial of orders exceeding the restriction or requirement of the rule. 
         FIG. 8  is a sample computer screen for choosing authorizers from a list of available users in the organization. 
         FIG. 9  is a sample computer screen for creating or editing a group and the users that are contained within the group. 
         FIG. 10  is a sample computer screen showing the functions of viewing, approving, denying and editing of orders by an authorized reviewer. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a sample procedure for linking the accounts of related organizations that have personnel accessing a commercial website. The commercial website may be maintained by a supplier of goods and/or services to customers that include business enterprises, government entities or other organizations. Its customers may include a parent company having many subsidiary companies, with each of those subsidiary companies having various subsidiaries of their own. Each subsidiary typically will have a separate account established with the commercial website. In addition, each parent and subsidiary may choose to have separate accounts for its headquarters and each of its divisions or plants. Accordingly, there may be a number of separate accounts for the various organizations that are directly or indirectly related to a parent organization. Referring to  FIG. 1 , E-support personnel  6  or account managers  8  of the commercial website report to website administrator  10 . In response to a request from a customer, E-support personnel  6  or account managers  8  propose a hierarchy or tree structure  12  and obtain internal approval of the tree structure by website administrator  10 . The steps taken to initially set up the tree structure will be described in greater detail below. After internal approval  14  of the proposed tree structure, approval of the responsible authorities  16  of the parent customer organization and each of the related customer organizations  18  is obtained for the proposed linking of the accounts of those organizations. When all necessary approvals of the customer organizations are obtained then website administrator  10  and an authorized customer administrator set up group or user rights  20  identifying personnel authorized to access various databases of the linked accounts, for example, place order  22 , order status  24 , purchase history  26 , and payments or finance  28 . 
       FIG. 2  provides additional details of the account linking approval process. One or more website account managers work with representative of the customer organization to create the tree structure  30  that the customer wants to have of its various accounts. The account manager or technical support personnel then imports  32  the initial tree structure into the website using appropriate computer screens designed for that purpose. A typical computer screen for establishing a tree structure is shown in  FIG. 5 . The screen has a search box  33  for entry of an account number or name and a drop down menu  35  to select account number or name. A search button  37  is provided for searching for the account number or name entered in the search box. If an account is selected which has a tree structure, then the tree structure will be displayed. If a tree structure does not exist for that account, then a message is displayed stating this and the ability to import the initial tree structure is provided by import button  39 . The account managers are able to download an EXCEL spread sheet using a download button  41  and fill it out with their customers and then import them as linked accounts. The spread sheet contains field columns for each child account number and its corresponding parent account number. A sample computer screen for accomplishing import of the files to be linked in the database is shown in  FIG. 6 . A search box  43  is provided for entry of an account number or name. A browse button  45  is also provided and a new window pops up with options to browse for the various accounts in the database. A continue button  47  is provided to import the account selected on the pop up window and a cancel button  49  is provided to cancel the import. Referring again to  FIG. 2 , upon completion of the proposed initial tree structure, notice  34  is then sent to all of the website account managers indicating that their customer accounts are linked up to the tree. The notice may include indication of any discrepancies in the data or data format of a particular account with respect to other accounts in the tree so that appropriate steps can be taken to correct any such discrepancies. Communication  36  is then made with a responsible authority of the website seeking internal website approval of the tree structure. After such internal approval, a communication  38  is sent to the customer of the top level account for approval of the tree structure. After approval  40  by the top level customer account, communications  42  are sent to all of the customer accounts attached to the tree structure to seek their authorization to link them to the tree  44 . Typically all of the communications can be conducted by e-mail to expedite the approval process. After completion of the initial tree structure maintenance is provided by a computer screen containing add account or delete account buttons. 
       FIG. 3  is a sample illustration of a computer screen for enabling an authorized customer user to select available accounts of related organizations to be linked for creating specific reports of data concerning those organizations. For example, if the user wants to view the status of orders placed by personnel of its related organizations for goods or services on the website, the user will have the ability to select multiple accounts to view data concerning order status.  FIG. 3  shows a sample computer screen for this purpose. The following fields are displayed on the order status page: For locating a particular order a find order heading  50  is displayed with a search text box  52  provided below the heading. Button  54  adjacent the search text box enables the user to search for the particular order described in the text box. According to this invention, a new heading  56  is provided to enable selection of accounts from the list below of related organizations. Check boxes  58  are provided for clicking on the selected accounts. Account numbers  60  and account names  62  are provided to the right of each check box, along with the account address  64 . Below the list of accounts, a continue button  66  is provided for linking the data from the selected accounts. After clicking the continue button, a list  70  of orders showing the status of each of them is displayed. The list includes all orders for the selected accounts so that order status for all of those accounts may be viewed simultaneously in aggregate. Usually the orders will be grouped by account and then particular order status, for example, invoiced and shipped. Other arrangements of the aggregate data can be provided as desired. 
       FIG. 4  is a sample computer screen for providing an authorized customer user the ability to select various accounts of related organizations for inclusion in a customized report to be created by the user. The screen includes a drop down menu  80  for selecting a time period for the report, with options to select, for example, previous day, month-to-date, last 6 full months, current year, and previous year or years. Below drop down menu  80 , check boxes  82  are provided for the selection of accounts to be included in the report. Account number, account name and account address are provided to the right of each check box to identify the available accounts. Below the list of available accounts, a list of data fields  84  is provided. Each data field has a check box  86  which the user may click on to select the data fields to be included in the report. Such data fields may include, for example, customer number, order number, order date, cost center, invoice number, and part or item identifying number, description, quantity, and price. Once the accounts and data fields have been selected a save report button is provided and below that a run report button. When the run report button is clicked, a screen will be displayed of aggregated data of the various selected data fields for the selected accounts. Thus, a method is provided for creating customized reports for selected accounts of related organizations. 
     In addition to being able to create reports for monitoring the activity of selected accounts of related organizations, the customer may also be provided with the ability to regulate the purchase of goods or services by users of the various linked accounts from a central authority such as an administrator of the parent customer organization. When a tree structure has been approved and the various accounts have been linked, an administrator of the parent customer organization can create a workflow which consists of rules regulating the purchase of goods or services from the website by users from the various linked accounts.  FIG. 7  shows a sample computer screen for creating a set of rules for a workflow. The rules may include, for example, a restriction on the total monetary amount that a user is authorized to purchase, a maximum unit price for an individual item, a list of items that the user is authorized to purchase, or a catalog from which the user may select items for purchase. For each rule an authorizer may be selected to allow the user to make a purchase when an order exceeds any of the rules. A rule without an authorizer may also be specified with the implication that an order that violates that rule cannot be approved. Rules involving total order amounts or individual line item prices are arranged in increasing order so that, for example, orders over $5,000 can only be setup to follow a rule that specifies a total order restriction with a smaller amount such as $2,000. In  FIG. 7 , boxes  90  and  92  are provided for typing in the name of a workflow and a description of the workflow, respectively. Dropdown menus  94  are provided for creating various types of rules that may be included in a workflow. A box  96  is provided to the left of each menu for entry of a number or letter identifying the ruled. To the right of each menu a space  98  is provided for typing an amount related to the rule. To the right of space  98  a dropdown menu  100  is provided for choosing an authorizer to review and approve or deny a purchase that exceeds the rule. The authorizers listed in the dropdown menu are selected from all available users on a separate computer screen described below. The first line in menu  94  shows a rule entitled “cannot checkout”. No authorizer is selected indicating that the purchase which exceeds this rule cannot be completed. The second line in menu  94  shows a rule that the purchase cannot exceed a specific dollar amount, for example, $1,000, without approval by an authorizer. The fourth line in menu  94  indicates a rule that a purchase cannot be made outside of a catalog without approval by a person selected as an authorizer for that rule. The fifth line in menu  94  shows that approval of the next authorizer is required for a particular purchase, thus allowing the administrator to require authorization of a purchase by a person representing, for example, the parent organization. Buttons  102  and  104  are provided to add anew line or to remove a line for adding or deleting rules. 
       FIG. 8  shows a sample computer screen for selecting authorizers from a list of all available users of the website. Search box  112  enables a search by user name. Search boxes  114  and  116  enable searches by state or address. Searches by other identifiers may also be included such as the organization which the user represents, the user&#39;s title, or other category. List  118  displays the names and addresses of users found using the search boxes described above. Spaces  120  are provided for identifying users who are to be selected as authorizers when button  122  labeled “Select” is pressed. The selected authorizers are listed in menu  124 . Button  126  labeled “Unselect” enables the removal of an authorizer from the selected authorizer list. 
     Once a workflow has been created, it can be associated with any of various groups within an organization. A group can be selected or unselected by checking or un-checking a checkbox next to it in an available group list.  FIG. 9  shows a sample computer screen for creating or editing a group and the users that are contained within the group. Box  130  is provided for entry of a name for the group. Box  132  provides a space for typing a description of the group. If the administrator wants to restrict the users in the group so that they can only view products and catalogs, box  134  is provided which may be checked for that purpose. Box  136  is provided for search for a user by the user&#39;s last name. Box  138  enables a search by location, for example, the state where users are located. Box  140  provides a search for users at a specific address. The search results are shown in the Search Results column  142 . A checkbox  143  is provided next to each user&#39;s name for selecting that user for inclusion in the group. Add button  144  is provided for adding the checked users to the list of users in the group. Button  146  enables removal of a user from the search results list. The selected users are listed in the selected user list  144 . Button  148  enables un-selection of users from the selected user list when a checkbox  150  is checked. Using this computer screen the customer administrator is able to create user groups or edit existing user groups. 
     In operation a user places an order when connected to the website. If approval is required the order is listed as “waiting for review” on a screen that is accessible to an authorizer. The authorizer is able to click on the order number to bring up a screen for review of the details of the order.  FIG. 10  is a sample computer screen that an authorizer might view for review of the purchase order. The order number and date the order was placed are shown at the top of the screen. Below the order number the address from which the order was billed and the billing address are shown along with a shipping address, shipping method and payment method. Below each of these listings a button  158  is provided for edit of the information contained in the space above. The history of the order is shown in box  160  where the Date, Name, Status, and Rule that triggered the need for approval are provided along with any comments. Prior review and approval is indicated as shown on the second line and pending approval on the third line. The products ordered are listed on separate lines in box  162  below box  160 . Buttons  164  enable the authorizer to remove any item listed on a particular line in box  162 . Buttons  166  and  168  are provided at the bottom of the screen to approve or deny the order. If the order is denied a communication, for example, by e-mail is sent to the person who placed the order and any previous authorizers indicating the reason for denial. 
     While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention have been identified, other configurations and modifications can be provided within the scope of the present invention.