Patent ID: 7412408

Claim:
A method for consolidating a first order from a first buyer for a first quantity of a product with other orders from other buyers of the product, the method comprising: receiving the first order by a supplier for the first quantity; determining that the first buyer is not authorized by the supplier to purchase the product from the supplier in the first quantity and, in response to the determining that the first buyer is not authorized by the supplier, forwarding the first order to a direct purchaser authorized by the supplier; receiving at least one other order from at least one other buyer of the product for at least one other quantity, wherein the at least one other buyer of the product may include at least one other buyer not authorized by the supplier or the direct purchaser; consolidating the first order received by the direct purchaser with the at least one other order from the at least one other buyer of the product into a consolidated order; placing the consolidated order by the direct purchaser; determining an items per case for the product; and determining that the sum of the first quantity and the at least one other quantity equals or exceeds the items per case.