Patent ID: 7184966

Claim:
For use in connection with a network that provides communications between a plurality of customers generating service requests and a plurality of vendors that fulfill said service requests, a system for monitoring and controlling work flows associated with said service requests between said plurality of customers and said plurality of vendors comprising: a main controller that: creates a first work flow record used to control a first work flow associated with a first service request; stores said first work flow record in a storage device associated with said main controller; receives from a first customer within said plurality of customers and a first vendor within said plurality of vendors at least one of messages, data files, software applications, and documents, said first customer and said first vendor associated with said first work flow; stores said at least one of messages, data files, software applications, and documents in said storage device in association with said work flow record; and transfers one or more of said at least one of messages, data files, software applications, and documents to at least one of said first customer and said first vendor, wherein said first work flow is at least partially developed or executed by said receiving, storing and transferring said at least one of messages, data files, software applications, and documents; and an accounting controller associated with said main controller that identifies at least one fee associated with said first work flow and that stores fee data associated with said at least one fee in said first work flow record; wherein said first work flow record comprises a primary work flow record associated with said first service request and a secondary work flow record associated with a second service request, the second service request associated with said first work flow.