Patent ID: 6996538

Claim:
An inventory management system, comprising the following elements, operably connected: (a) at least one computer having at least one storage medium; (b) one or more databases residing on said at least one storage medium, in which at least the following data is stored: (1) customer inventory information, (2) inventory and cost information for a plurality of manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors (3) inventory restocking parameters provided by said customer; and (c) client software residing on said at least one storage medium providing an interface to said one or more database(s), wherein the client software identifies users and allows users to be classified into groups, and wherein permissions or roles are assigned to such groups, and wherein: (i) said software evaluates said customer inventory information and iventory or cost information for a plurality of manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors in light of said restocking parameters provided by said customer, (ii) said software automatically orders manufacturer, supplier, or distributor inventory which best fulfills said inventory restocking parameters provided by said customer in light of said evaluation, (iii) said software tracks inventory items in said databases for (1) said customer and (2) said manufacturer, supplier, or distributor, as inventory items are added to, restocked to, or removed from said inventories, wherein said tracking is executed by detecting an RFID tag associated with each said inventory item, (iv) said software updates said data on said one or more databases through at least one software interface to said databases; and (v) said software provides an interface through which said customer, manufacturer, supplier, or distributor can access the information in said one or more databases according to said assigned permissions or roles.