Patent ID: 8386332

Claim:
A system for community-based exchange of procurement documents, the system comprising: a data store configured to: store a first set of rules data comprising rules for direct peer-to-peer exchange and transformation of procurement documents within a first community and specifying trading partners invited to join the first community; and store a second set of rules data comprising rules for direct peer-to-peer exchange and transformation of procurement documents within a second community and specifying trading partners invited to join the second community; a server computer system, in communication with the data store, the server computer system comprising: a subscription unit configured to access the data store and: register trading partners to the first community according to the first set of rules data to create subscribed trading partners of the first community; and register trading partners to the second community according to the second set of rules data to create subscribed trading partners of the second community; and a rules distribution unit configured to access the data store and: distribute at least a subset of the first set of rules data to the subscribed trading partners of the first community specifying the rules for direct peer-to-peer exchange and transformation of procurement documents within the first community; and distribute at least a subset of the second set of rules data to the subscribed trading partners of the second community specifying the rules for direct peer-to-peer exchange and transformation of procurement documents within the second community.