Patent ID: 7725370

Claim:
A method of outsource supplier management, the method comprising the steps of: providing a storage medium for storing data and programs used in processing data; providing a processing unit for processing data; receiving a customer order at a seller, the customer order identifying an ordered product; sending a first message through a computer network from the seller to an outsource supplier, the first message comprising order data identifying the ordered product; shipping the ordered product from the outsource supplier to the customer; transmitting a second message through the computer network to the seller, the second message comprising shipping data describing the shipment of the ordered product to the customer; transforming the received shipping data for the ordered product into a data record that represents the ordered product; adding the ordered product identified in the data record into inventory at the seller; creating an invoice to pay the outsource supplier for the ordered product; matching the customer order to the inventory using the processing unit, and decreasing inventory by removing the ordered product from the inventory at the seller; and billing the customer for the ordered product.