Patent ID: 8046276

Claim:
A system for managing product reserve, comprising: a first database that stores product stock information on at least one kind of product; a second database that stores semifinished product stock information on at least one kind of semifinished product that can be used in common between a plurality of products; a management computer connected to said first and second databases, wherein said management computer comprises: a request receiving section that receives a supply request for one or a plurality of products; a first determination processing section that determines whether the product can be reserved in response to the request received by said request receiving section based on product stock information stored in said first database; a first reserve processing section that reserves the product in response to the request received by said request receiving section when said first determination processing section determines that the product can be reserved; a second determination processing section that determines whether a semifinished product for production of a final product can be reserved in response to the request received by said request receiving section based on semifinished product stock information stored in said second database when said first determination processing section determines that the product reserve is inadequate; and a second reserve processing section that reserves the semifinished product in response to the request received by said request receiving section when said second determination processing section determines that the semifinished product can be reserved, wherein product stock information stored in said first database includes a first type of stock information indicating a stock of product at each of a plurality of production bases and a second type of stock information indicating a stock of product at each of plurality of shops, and said first determination processing section includes a selection section that selects at least one of said plurality of production bases and said plurality of shops as a supply source for the product designated by the request received by said request receiving section, a third determination processing section that determines whether the product in stock at the supply source selected by said selection section can be reserved in response to the request received by said request receiving section based on the first type or second type of stock information stored in said first database, and a fourth determination processing section that determines whether the product in stock at another production base or another shop indicated in first type or second type stock information can be reserved when said third determination processing section determines that reserve of the product is inadequate, and said first reserve processing section reserves the product in response to the request received by said request receiving section when said third or fourth determination processing section determines that the product can be reserved.