Patent ID: 7831458

Claim:
A method for managing the supply for a plurality of service providers of service devices, the method comprising: pooling data regarding a plurality of service devices in an inventory pool as device data records in a database, wherein the inventory pool comprises service provider inventories for service devices owned by each of the respective plurality of service providers and a device provider inventory for service devices owned by the device provider; managing the service devices in the inventory pool by a data processing system comprising a computer in communication with the database accessible across a communication network by one or more client computers, wherein the data processing system is programmed to (a) receive a request from a client computer of a requesting service provider for a requested service device; (b) check the availability of the requested service device, via the computer on the data processing system, by searching the inventory pool in the database by: (i) searching an inventory of the requesting service provider in the inventory pool and providing for loaning of the requested service device if located; otherwise, (ii) searching the device provider inventory and providing for leasing the requested service device if located; otherwise, (iii) searching the service provider inventories of other service providers in the inventory pool and leasing the requested service device if located, wherein the service providers have a defined set of service personnel who can request service devices, and wherein in the data processing system is stored for each of the service personnel a respective personnel data record containing data uniquely characterizing the service personnel in terms of name and associated service provider, wherein the personnel data record comprises one or more of criteria for the validity of a device request and a person with release authorization for the release of an invalid device request, wherein, when a device request is made by service personnel the data processing system checks the validity of the device request regarding the personnel-related admissibility criteria, and wherein, if the device request is not valid, the data processing system requests a person with release authorization associated with the service personnel to initiate a release of the device request, wherein the personnel-related admissibility criteria comprise a maximum permitted purchase price, and wherein one or more of the service devices are assigned to service personnel in the data processing system, and wherein only the service devices assigned to said service personnel are offered by the data processing system in the form of a catalog for requests.