Patent ID: 7574441

Claim:
An apparatus for collaborative planning and supply chain management among multiple collaborators and multiple trading partners, including a plurality of collaborator workstations, each said workstation including a processor; a plurality of trading partner workstations; a hub disposed for exchange of information among said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, wherein said hub includes (1) a global database having public information about a set of collaborators in a supply chain associated with said collaborator workstations and public information about a set of trading partners in said supply chain associated with said trading partner workstations, (2) a set of individual supply chain automatons, the automatons including private databases having secure and separate information about said set of collaborator workstations and said set of trading partners associated with said trading partner workstations, (3) at least one portal that receives, integrates information included in messages, said information including at least a date or quantity, and delivers messages between said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, and integrates differing software packages associated with said plurality of collaborator workstations and said plurality of trading partner workstations, said portal including a substantially global database; and a communications network that couples said plurality of collaborator workstations, said plurality of trading partner workstations and said hub.