Patent ID: 7467103

Claim:
A system comprising: a network; a web server connected to said network, said web server including a database for storing data; two or more buyer computers connected to said network for data communication with said web server, each of which buyer computers is operable by two or more respective buyers of at least one buying club, and is configured for generating to said web server data defining orders of products placed by said two or more respective buyers, said data including a first range defined between a first quantity and a second quantity of a number of units of each product to order for each of said two or more respective buyers, wherein, for at least one of said two or more respective buyers of each product, said first quantity is not equal to said second quantity; and a memory coupled to said web server, said memory comprising computer program code executable by said web server for: generating for each respective product a first aggregate quantity equal to the sum of said first quantities specified by each of said respective two or more buyers for each respective product; generating for each respective product a second aggregate quantity equal to the sum of said second quantities specified by each of said respective two or more buyers for each respective product; determining two or more valid order quantities of units of each respective product, wherein, for each respective product, said two or more valid order quantities are defined by values which are equivalent to two or more respective integer multiples of a pre-defined number greater than one; determining, for each of said respective products, at least one of said two or more valid order quantities within a second range defined between and including said first aggregate quantity and said second aggregate quantity; selecting for each respective product, based on a predefined criterion, one of said at least one of said two or more valid order quantities; and for each respective product, allocating units among said respective two or more buyers, wherein the sum of said units allocated among said respective two or more buyers is equal to said selected one of said at least one of said two or more valid order quantities.